


My Sacrifice

by Prompto_Cam



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Blind!Prompto, Blood, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mild Language, New Relationship, Permanent Injury, Slightly OT4, Spoilers, mental torment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-10
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-10-17 09:45:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10591455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prompto_Cam/pseuds/Prompto_Cam
Summary: In Altissia, Prompto saves Ignis from an attack that surely would have killed him; at the cost of his own sight. Ignis realizes what the gunner really means to him, but when Ardyn intervenes, is it already too late to save Prompto?





	1. The Sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

> BIIIG shout-out to my awesome friend and Beta reader, KUPOXV! Its taken a long time to muster the courage to start posting this story, but she's encouraged me to do it so here it is! My first FFXV fanfic!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BIIIG shout-out to my awesome friend and Beta reader, KUPOXV! Its taken a long time to muster the courage to start posting this story, but she's encouraged me to do it so here it is! My first FFXV fanfic!

When had all of this started to go so horribly, unexplainably  _wrong_? The plan had been simple enough; evacuate the citizens of Altissia and then stop the Empire from getting near the altar. 

They hadn't expected to be facing the entire Niflheim army though. 

Time had lost all meaning after the drop ships opened up to release wave after wave of MTs over their heads. They could have been fighting for hours but they weren't too sure. It was taking all their concentration to just simply stay alive. Gladio and Ignis were covered in cuts and bruises but nothing serious enough to hold them back. Prompto was trying to stay back and provide cover fire, so he was barely wounded at all. 

Leviathan was loud and angry, that much they could tell. The roars of frustration and hurt told them that Noctis was still fighting her. The walls of water prevented anyone from getting in there but it wasn't stopping the foot soldiers from keeping the three boys busy. 

But then all of a sudden, the roar became one of screeching agony; it shook the very ground beneath their feet, sending some MTs tumbling over. The others stopped firing upon the boys, lowering their weapons to their sides. Gladio, Ignis and Prompto remained cautious, but the working MTs turned around, marching right back towards the drop ships. 

"Are... are they giving up?" Prompto asked after he jogged over to rejoin the others. 

"It would certainly seem that way. Leviathan's walls are receding as well; Noctis must have finished the fight" Ignis said, his focus on the disappearing water. They were too far from the altar to really see if Noctis was alright, but they would need to get to him before the Empire could. 

"Iggy look out!" Prompto shouted. Ignis had no time to react to the yell; by the time he turned his head towards the blonde, Prompto had already pushed against his chest, shoving him back and out of the way of whatever danger the gunner had seen. 

He heard the unmistakable fire of an MT laser rifle and the pained yell of his companion before he'd even hit the wall behind him. He turned sharply and threw his dagger at the offending MT, piercing its head and shutting it down immediately. 

"Oh damn, shit, Iggy!" Gladio shouted at him. He let his weapons fade into the ether and dropped to his knees at Prompto's side. 

Prompto was curled on his side, knees drawn up to his chest and hands pressed tightly against his face, fingers digging into his head and blood seeping out between them. He whimpered and sobbed, shoulders shaking from pain. 

"He's already in shock" Ignis observed quickly, gently trying to pry Prompto's hands away from his face. "Prompto, you have to let me look" he insisted. Gladio waved him off so he let the larger man take over for a moment. 

Gladio slid an arm under Prompto and shifted him slowly, bringing the small man against his chest so the he could hold him steady. "We got you Prom, calm down" he muttered, carefully rubbing circles into his back. Ignis shuffled closer to once again take hold of his wrists and pry his hands away. This time he met less resistance. 

Ignis couldn't stop the shocked gasp that escaped his usual composure. Blood was steadily pouring down the left side of Prompto's face from what looked like a deep, painful burn that hadn't cauterized itself. He couldn't even see where the blood was coming from, there was just too much of it. The laser had grazed that side of his face, cut across the bridge of his nose and then left another smaller burn that wasn't bleeding on the right brow. Where was he even supposed to begin?

"God dammit" Gladio cursed as he took it all in too, carefully tightening his hold on Prompto so he couldn't cover it again when he tried. "Iggy we don't have any damn curatives" he growled in frustration. 

"I... I know... I don't..." Ignis clenched his fists. Damn it, this was  _his_  fault. He shouldn't have let his guard down so easily. _Why couldn't he compose himself?!_ He tugged his gloves off and carefully pressed them against the left of Prompto's face, since that was the worst wound. Prompto immediately gasped in pain, arms trying to push away from them but Gladio held him tight until all the tension suddenly left Prompto's body with his faded consciousness. 

"What the hell do we do Ignis?"

"I don't know! I can't even see where the  _bloody hell_ he's bleeding from!" 

"Alright, calm the hell down Ignis! Get your head screwed back on! You're not going to help like that" 

Ignis tried to take in a deep breath. Gladio was right, he needed his composure. He _had_ to help Prompto. He spared a glance back to where Noctis had been fighting. There was nothing there anymore. He moved closer to Prompto to slide an arm around his back, keeping pressure on his wound. 

"I'll handle this. You have to find Noctis" he insisted as he moved Prompto into his own arms. 

"Ignis-"

"Noctis has to come first, Gladio. We have no idea of the outcome of his fight but you must get to him before the Empire can. I believe the Oracle would be most helpful for Prompto right now with her healing abilities" he reasoned. Gladio looked like he wanted argue but he knew Ignis was right. He sighed heavily, pushing himself to his feet. 

"Take care of him Ignis. Goodness knows if he's not alright then Noct will tear the Empire apart by hand if he has to"

"I know... now go"

  

* * *

 

Ignis had waited as patiently as he could, holding pressure to Prompto's wound and praying for any damn miracle at this point. When Gladio had returned with grim features and an unconscious Noctis, his heart sank right to his gut. The Oracle was no more, and with how much time had passed it was too late to administer a curative to Prompto even if they managed to find one. 

They carried the two youngest members of the group across the city, back to the hotel they had stayed in the night before. At the very least, they had been able to contain the fighting to one part of Altissia, sparing most of the city from ruin. 

With the retreat of the Empire came the steady return of the people. Gladio had quickly gone to find a doctor or a healer of any kind. 

Noctis was unharmed, but deeply unconscious from exhaustion and overuse of his Armiger. He would wake, given time to rest. 

Prompto was a different story altogether. 

"There's nothing that can be done. It needs to be kept clean and covered; until he wakes we won't know the condition of his sight in the right eye. The left is completely sealed; the skin has burned together too much to get it open again" the medic explained, coating the burn in cream and a clean dressing. Ignis felt like he could crumble right there. 

"Would a curative at least make it heal faster?" He asked. 

"Probably. It'd make it scar over rather than waiting for the healing time but at this point, it'll scar no matter what. It's probably a good idea to administer one"

"Thank you... I'll get him one as soon as possible"

"Well give me a call when he's awake and I'll see what we can do with his sight" the medic said, packing up his things and making his departure. He was going to have plenty of patients after all that had happened. 

Ignis let his head fall into his hands. This wasn't  _right_. That attack had been meant for  _him_ and Prompto had seen it coming a mile away. He should be the one lying in a bed recovering, not Prompto.  _Definitely not Prompto._

He felt Gladio's heavy hand fall on his shoulder, but he couldn't bring himself to look at him. Gladio slid an arm around his shoulders and pulled him forward into his large chest, letting the advisor crumble against him. Prompto and Noctis didn't get to see the collected man break; Ignis wouldn't ever let them. But for Gladio it was different. The shield was his rock to fall against. 

"It should have been me. It was meant for me" he muttered, hands tightly clenched in the back of Gladio's vest. "I let my guard down. I was so focused on Noctis that I... I didn't pay attention. There were still enemies around and I didn't even... Prompto shouldn't have..."

"Prompto wouldn't want you beating yourself up" Gladio mumbled. It was enough to break Ignis' last wall down, a choked sob escaping him. He  _knew_. Prompto was always giving and giving and never taking; so completely  _unselfish_  in every action. Even if he never recovered from this Prompto would suffer silently and only blame himself and it wasn't fair on the gunner at all. A man who found beauty in almost anything with that camera of his shouldn't be facing the prospect of  _blindness_.

"You should care for Noct. Leave Prom to me" Gladio said, fingers rubbing soothing circles on Ignis' back. 

The notion sent a chill down Ignis' spine. "No, I should be the one to-"

"You are Noct's attendant. He'd feel much better waking up to you at his side. Better than me at least" Gladio reasoned and Ignis knew he was right. 

"Just... please get him a potion or something. It'd be better for him to wake up without a need for more cleaning and pain... he doesn't deserve it"

"I'll sort it. You alright now?"

"No... not really. But perhaps I will be when they wake up"

  

* * *

 

Prompto woke up first and Gladio almost wished he had stayed unconscious. He'd given Prompto a hi-potion and when he'd taken off the bandage he'd realized how awful the scarring was. It fully covered his eye, spreading down his cheek a little and over his brow. The gash to his nose had scarred and so had the other small burn, but seeing the large one over his eye had been awful. 

But it was more awful when Prompto had fearfully whimpered that he couldn't see even in his right eye; the vibrant blue dulled to a deep grey. Gladio had been there at his side immediately as a shoulder to lean on, wrapping an arm around him to comfort him. 

"Is Iggy okay?" Prompto strained to ask. 

"He's perfectly fine, thanks to you. It was quite a stunt you pulled but... he's grateful. You probably saved his life y'know" Gladio assured him. Prompto nodded a little, head tipped down to his clasped hands. 

"Where is he?"

"He's with Noctis. Prince Charmless hasn't woken up yet; the doc said he's exhausted himself and used up all his magic. He'll be out for a little while I think. But mostly I wanted Iggy to look after him because I want Iggy to rest for a bit. He spent a lot of time looking after you" He explained. 

"At least they're okay. Wh-what about Leviathan? And Luna?"

"We're pretty sure Noct gained the blessing but... Lunafreya didn't make it"

"Oh... Noct is gunna be pretty devastated huh?"

"That's the last thing you need to be thinking about Prom. Noct is King, he will have to push forward. Think about yourself for now" 

Silence descended on them but Gladio didn't mind. He stayed sat on the bed with Prompto leaned against him and his arms firmly providing him the support his tired body needed. 

"... How does it look?" Prompto asked eventually. Gladio gave a gentle sigh. 

"It doesn't matter what it looks like, Prom. It only matters that you're alive. You scared the hell out of us"

Silence again. Prompto's hands twitched with a need to feel something. Anything. Normally he would hold his camera, finding that the familiar grip eased his anxiety. But he couldn't even do that anymore. 

"Prom, just wait and see what the doctor says. We don't know what the damage is" Gladio said, gently squeezing Prompto's shoulders. 

"I can't see. I don't need a doctor to tell me that... I mean, I'll adjust I guess but... I-I guess Cindy might let me stay at the garage for a bit" Prompto muttered, fingers rubbing against the bed sheets. 

"Cindy? What are you talking about?"

"Well this is it, isn't it? I can't... I can't fight... you guys are gunna go on... without me"

The words sat heavy on Gladio's chest. He hadn't even begun to consider the impact this would have on their journey. Of  _course_  Prompto couldn't fight; you can't work a gun blind. But was it fair to just dump him off? He was like this because he saved someone, he didn't deserve to be dropped. 

"Hey, if you think for a second that Noct would let anyone leave you behind, I'm afraid you've got another think coming buddy. That's a bridge we've gotta cross when we get to it but for now you have to hang tight. Noct could be out for a few days so we're hanging here for now. It'd be better if you just rest and let yourself recover" Gladio muttered, feeling Prompto leaning heavier against him. He was sure Prompto was still tired. He shifted slowly, helping Prompto to lay back down. He pulled the blanket up over him. "Sleep, I'll wake you in a little while" He assured, only receiving a nod in reply as Prompto rolled over.

 


	2. Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis and Prompto share a heart-to-heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the feels-express to nope-ville. Enjoy!

Ignis had rarely felt anxiety, but he imagined that the tight feeling in his chest and the weight sitting in his stomach was the closest he would ever get to that feeling. Gladio had taken over watching Noctis for him so that he could personally be here for Prompto’s diagnosis, but the doctor had insisted upon patient confidentiality now that said patient was actually _awake_ for an examination. If looks could kill, the door in front of him would have been in flames right about now because this doctor sure was taking his _sweet bloody time_ and it was driving Ignis to near madness.

He briefly considered how much it would cost to replace the door if he actually set it on fire, and whether or not he could muster up that much gil when all of a sudden it finally opened. He stood up, nudging his glasses up in a nervous gesture as he did so to meet with the doctor, his look expectant and impatient. The doctor let the door click shut behind him before he addressed the advisor.

“He wants me to fill you in” The doctor confirmed, and all Ignis could do was nod a little to allow him to carry on. “The left eye is unsalvageable, I’m afraid; but I did expect as much. It is completely sealed shut, and although it could possibly be opened under surgery, I’m confident that the eyeball itself is too damaged to make any use of. He’s better off leaving it shut to avoid getting it infected” He explained. Ignis drank in every word, committing it to memory. He needed this information if he had any hope of helping Prompto; and he deserved the guilt.

“And what of his right eye?” He pressed. He felt whatever small amount of hope he’d had disappear when the doctor cast his gaze away for a moment, seeming to compose himself first.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think the vision will return... It still reacts to light and shadows, so he may be able to sense movement and objects to a degree, but I don’t believe real vision will return. If the potions you gave him didn’t fix it then I’m afraid I cannot” He explained. Ignis felt his shoulders slump. Only light and shadows... there was no hope of Prompto joining a fight again, or using his camera, or playing Kings Knight or any of the other things he so truly adored.

“Thank you, sir. We appreciate all your efforts” Ignis forced out, and the doctor merely nodded at his words.

“I’m sorry. He may well adjust with time but... he won’t be able to do it alone”

“He won’t be alone. Not I nor my companions have any intentions on letting him figure this out for himself” Ignis assured with a conviction of steel. This was _his_ fault, he’d be damned if he let Prompto do this by himself. He bid a kind farewell to the doctor, even though it was only a few minutes ago he’d rather have beat him on the head with something heavy for shutting him out here. His only thought now was Prompto. He _had_ to speak with him, and reassure him.

His heavy heart felt worse when he finally got to see him after so many hours. Prompto was sat up on his own now, having recovered a little of his strength. But the scars across his eye were... difficult to look at. Especially knowing they were never intended for Prompto in the first place. He closed the door with a click so that Prompto would hear him coming and crossed the room, sitting on the edge of the bed so that Prompto could feel it dip under his weight.

“Gladdy?” Prompto asked, head tilting a little in Ignis’ direction.

“No, it’s Ignis” He said carefully. He didn’t miss the tension form in Prompto’s shoulders and part of him wanted to _scream_ at that reaction. “Gladio went to watch Noctis for a short time. I wanted to see you awake” He admitted.

“Th-thanks I guess... um... I guess the doctor told you everything then, right?”

“Yes, he explained the situation to me” He confirmed, reaching out to carefully lay his hand on Prompto’s. “And it is I who should be thanking _you_ , Prompto... you saved my life” Prompto turned his head away a little, though he did turn his hand over to tightly grip Ignis’ hand. The contact was grounding, and he needed that for a moment and Ignis certainly wasn’t about to complain. “Prom... I need to know what happened out there. I... I didn’t even see what happened. All I know was that you pushed me. I didn’t see anything else”

He watched Prompto worry his bottom lip between his teeth, the topic still very sore to the young blonde, but Ignis could see that he clearly wanted to say something. He was still so much like an open book.

“The MT snipers... their guns have laser sights on them... they point a little red dot at their target and...” He paused, taking in a deep breath and squeezing Ignis’ hand a little to comfort himself. “You and Gladio were looking back to where Noct was... neither of you saw the sight trained on you. I knew that by the time I warned you, it’d be too late and... a-and it was right on your chest, it was a kill shot for sure... I... I couldn’t...” He leaned forward, letting go of Ignis’ hand to press his hands onto his eyes, even though the action still stung. Ignis quickly shuffled closer, wrapping an arm around Prompto’s shoulders. “I couldn’t let it happen... I never would have lived with myself! I... I thought for sure I’d die instead... I couldn’t let them take you” He said desperately, his voice breaking with his emotion.

“Prom... I... I truly cannot express my gratitude to you... I cannot even fathom the words. I was a fool to let my guard down so soon after such an intense battle. I should have been more aware. You should never have had to put yourself into such danger on my behalf and believe me when I say that... I don’t know what I would have done if that shot had hit you properly” Ignis muttered, gently easing the boy into his chest. Prompto’s shoulders were shaking with his soft sobs, face burying in Ignis’ chest and his hands coming up to grip the back of his shirt tightly.

“I... I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I didn’t _think_. I never think. I just _moved_ when I should have shot the MT. B-but I knew... I knew Noct needed you more”

“Don’t say that, Prompto. Noctis needs us both. He needs all three of us and you know this”

“I’m not... like you guys. I’m not a shield... I’m not strong. I can’t advise, I’m not smart I’m just... I’m just his friend”

“And that is why you are an important part to this group. You are the light in the darkness Prompto. You’re always there to keep the rest of us motivated and get the morale boosted. I do believe that is why Noct chose you for this journey” Ignis explained, one hand gently rubbing circles into Prompto’s back while the other smoothed through his hair. “You are a kind soul... But I do wish you hadn’t sacrificed yourself so” He admitted softly.

“I couldn’t stand by and let my friend die... I... I’d never have lived with the guilt” Prompto muttered. “You three... you’re all I have, y’know? All I’ve had for such a long time... I know that you didn’t think a lot to me when we met”

“Promp-“

“No, it’s alright. Not many people thought much to me, I know. Everyone thought that I was going to be a bad influence on Noct. Silly little poor kid whose parents are never around, getting close to the Prince? Everyone thought I wanted something. I think even King Regis did to begin with but... I was okay with that. They didn’t understand” He explained, letting his grip loosen on Ignis a little, but he didn’t move from the embrace. “I know that you thought I was a bad influence and I guess I kinda was. I did help Noct sneak out to some parties and to the arcade”

“You were not the first to do so. In our younger years, I often took blame for Noctis’ rebellious actions” Ignis admitted in a small grumble. Noctis was forever getting himself into trouble. “Though I suspect the late King knew the truth” It did bring a dry chuckle out of Prompto.

“I didn’t care what people thought really... but when we set off, it was getting to me a little, y’know? Gladio took to me okay before we left. He’d join me on my morning run sometimes, and when he was helping me train for my Crownsguard test, he’d started smiling more. Making fun of me in jest and picking me up after he’d knocked me flat. But you... I guess you were more concerned with Noctis and the arrangements and being so organized that you never took real notice of me”

“Prom-“

“Na, it’s cool. Let me finish, okay?” He felt Ignis chin on his head as he nodded a little. “I knew you didn’t hate me; you’d never actively protested when Noct dragged me along. But you were so distant. Always business with you. But after we heard about Insomnia... I dunno, it felt like something changed. I bet you didn’t even notice” Ignis’ brows knitted together. No, he hadn’t noticed any sort of changes. “You started to involve me more. When you planned a strategy, you actually included me in it. You didn’t just tell me to cover you guys, you gave me more active roles. You stopped looking annoyed when I hovered around you at camp when you were cooking”

“What do you mean? You never annoyed me”

“Probably not, but you always looked frustrated. You would push the plates at me and tell me to set the table. But... one day you looked right at me... a-and you asked me to pass you something. I stood there like an idiot, and you looked so confused and repeated yourself and it took me a second to realize you weren’t sending me to set the table. It suddenly became a regular thing to pass stuff to you and watch you cook some nights. You stopped using my full name all the time and started calling me Prom like the others. You didn’t turn your back to me whenever we had to share a bed anymore. It might all sound silly and small to you but to me... it made me feel like you’d finally accepted me as a friend”

Ignis gently tightened his hold on Prompto. His words were like punches to his chest; had he really been so flippant with Prompto? Alright he had initially thought that Prompto was up to no good but the boy had trained _hard_ to enter the Crownsguard for Noctis and had done so in only three months; a new record for sure. He had more than earned his place at Noctis side and Ignis _had_ admired that, but clearly he had been so wrapped up in getting Noctis to his wedding on schedule that all else had been pushed aside.

“I’m so sorry, Prompto... I had never intended to exclude you at the beginning... I knew how hard you had worked to be at Noctis’ side and believe me when I say that I respected you for that. No one had passed the test with so little training. Noctis had been so excited to tell me when you were approved for Crownsguard and I was stunned, in all honesty. The previous record was six months and you had smashed it in only three. Had I known how I was making you feel, I would never have treated you in such a manner”

“I know that now. I know that your job was to get Noctis to his wedding. And over these last few months we’ve been traveling, I’ve gotten to know you much better. I learned that you like seafood. You touch your glasses when you’re nervous and you shift your weight from leg to leg when you’re anxious or frustrated. You wear gloves because you hate the feel of callouses on your hands” Prompto lifted his head from Ignis chest to straighten out his back a little, feeling Ignis’ hands linger on his shoulders. “You can’t sleep on your right side; you have to be on your left or your back. You’re always the last to sleep and the first to wake. You’re particularly fond of cherry pie, and you distinctly hate portioning meat; you always make Gladio do it when we hunt fresh game”

Ignis nudged his glasses, immediately somewhat shy of the action even if Prompto couldn’t _damn well_ see it. “I had no idea you were so... observant”

“I try. Noct is the funny one to watch though. Did you know that his nose twitches when he’s annoyed? It’s kinda funny to watch. He’s a fidget too; never sits still. He’d look so awkward on his throne, never able to hold one position for more than a few minutes”

“Gladio is afraid of heights” Ignis supplied.

“ _Really?_ I’d never have guessed that one!” Prompto exclaimed in surprise.

“You don’t tend to eat sweet, sugary foods. You appreciate unhealthy foods but avoid them if given the choice. You always linger to Noctis’ left hand side. You hate changing in front of others, you’re fond of spicy food and you’re far-sighted” Ignis stated confidently, and he was thoroughly pleased at the small chuckle he got in return.

“I was only a little far sighted. I was worse as a kid... I uh... I used to be really... overweight. My parents weren’t home much, so I ate everything a kid shouldn’t, I guess... It took a long time to work it all off and... Sometimes I worry that if I indulge too much, I’ll pile it all back on. It took me years and... and I did it because I didn’t think Noctis would ever want me to be his friend, looking like that. Stupid, I know. We’ve talked about it a lot since then”

Ignis let the silence linger for a little while; he felt a bit better actually after talking with Prompto like this. They had never really spent time together like this. But they should have.  All those times he'd cooked for Prompto and Noctis at Noct's apartment, and yet he'd never taken any time to get to know the best friend of his ward. He had learned more in these last few months than he had in the last few years, and he couldn't help but admit to himself that Prompto had warmed up a spot in his heart.

Now that he thought about it, he _could_ remember the changes. The warmth that settled in his chest whenever Prompto eagerly came to his cooking station to help. The comfort of the smaller body laid next to his own on a small, cramped bed. The sparkle in blue eyes when he had first called him 'Prom' without even needing to consider the use of the fond nickname. How could it have taken this long for him to realize? Why was it only after such disaster that these feelings truly manifested? Perhaps it was the realization that he _could have lost Prompto_.

Ignis gently slid his fingers across Prompto's shoulder to drift up his neck and across a freckled cheek. Prompto's head inclined more his way in response to the gentle caress. The bed dipped a little more as Ignis shifted his weight, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to Prompto's lips. He didn't miss the soft sound that resulted, but Prompto didn't move away. Prompto's fists clenched tightly in Ignis' shirt for a moment, before they relaxed a little, trying to pull him closer instead.

Ignis didn't linger long, pulling away to press his forehead to Prompto's and let their soft breaths mingle for a little while. "I'm sorry... it... felt right... in the moment" Ignis muttered.

"Y-yeah... yeah it did" Prompto mumbled, his hands moving from Ignis back to hold onto his arms to keep him close. Ignis in return, let go of his cheek and shoulder to hold onto his hands instead.

“Prom... I’m going to help you, I'm going to stay by your side throughout this... Noctis is my ward and I cannot neglect that responsibility, but you have taken an important place in my life too. More intimately important” Prompto tipped his head down to their joined hands.

“Iggy... I know that I shouldn't come anymore... I’ll be a liability like this. I could put us all in danger... and I don't want to take your attention away from Noct”

“You most certainly will not be leaving us. The four of us... we’re as good as family now, and family do not leave each other behind. I know that Gladio feels the same and I can assure you that Noct would be the first to knock some sense into you if he heard you speaking in such a manner. He cares for you deeply, as do we all... as do I especially. It will take some time to work out the finer details, but we certainly won’t be leaving you. I have a little experience with dealing with the visually impaired, believe it or not. My Uncle was one of King Regis’ attendants and his vision was appalling in his later years. He was stubborn and should have retired years ago, but he refused to let his duties go to anyone else. Even me. I _will_ help you Prompto” Ignis promised, gently squeezing Prompto’s hands.

Prompto wanted so badly to believe that this would all work out; but he knew better than that. A relationship in their situation was dangerous. And eventually, they would have to realize that he simply couldn’t follow them anymore.

“I... I’ll try my best... to carry on... If you'll stay with me” He muttered anyway. He didn’t _want_ to be left behind. He had nowhere else to go. He _wanted_ to pursue whatever was happening between himself and Ignis too.

“That’s better. More like the Prompto we know. We will have to adjust, all of us. You will have to forgive our shortcomings, but we will do our best for you. I won't leave you” He assured, shifting carefully to stand up, his legs feeling a little numb from sitting awkwardly. “I had best return to Noct. Gladio is certain that he would rather wake to me than him. Though I do not look forward to informing him of Lunafreya’s passing”

“Yeah... it’s gunna be hard for him, for sure... he’s gunna have it the worst”

Ignis couldn’t help but internally disagree. The grief Noctis would feel for his childhood friend and bride-to-be was only going to be temporary, compared to what Prompto would now have to deal with. “I will be there for him. We all will” He said, deciding it wasn’t best to disagree with Prompto at this stage. He was too self-sacrificing to believe that for once, his situation was the worst.

"Ignis?"

"Yes, Prompto?"

"Will... will you stay a little longer...? Just... until I fall asleep?" Prompto asked, his fingers twisting in the blanket over his legs in a display of obvious nerves. How could Ignis possibly say no to such a look? Ignis took a moment to kick off his shoes, before he climbed onto the bed beside Prompto. Prompto moved to lay down, letting Ignis pull him closer and help him nestle against his chest. The feeling of long fingers gently stroking through blonde hair lulled Prompto into an easy sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there ya have it, chapter two! Chapter three is going to kick off the action, so be prepared!
> 
> Kit~


	3. No Time to Stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are going wrong, Prompto is in danger, and Ignis is losing his cool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yesss I know I skipped the trek through Cartanica, but forgive me, I had no inspiration for it =[ I may add it in at a later date if I find the motivation. Sorry!

The continuing train ride had been better than the first time around. Noctis and Gladio were no longer sulking at least, having gotten over their little spat after Prompto had given them a piece of his mind in a rare display of utter frustration. The walk to the tomb had been _horrible_ for him, and more than once he had considered just throwing in the towel; but Ignis’ steady hand had always been there to guide him, but not so intrusive that Prompto felt he couldn’t go anywhere without his assistance.

Gladio and Ignis had left to find someone who apparently had some information about the lengthening nights that all of Eos was suffering lately, leaving him sat alone with Noctis for a little while. Prompto and Ignis hadn't mentioned to the others what had happened between them; not yet at least. Nothing had progressed beyond soft kisses to his head when he assumed no one was looking, and gentle arms encircling him as he slept. He gave a small sigh, leaning his head against the cold window.

“Prom, you know we’re sorry, right?” Noctis asked.

“Yeah I know. I’m just tired buddy. Walking around is much more of a strain when you’re constantly trying not to make an idiot of yourself” He chuckled lightly. He was trying to get the hang of this cane that Ignis had acquired for him, but he was naturally clumsy anyway and it was taking quite a lot of practice.

Noctis had been an utter mess when he’d woken up back in Altissia; his grief had been difficult and immediate. Although he had no romantic interest for Lunafreya, she had been a dear friend to him and had done so much for them before her death. Honestly, without her they never would have gotten this far. But when he had first seen Prompto, his entire world had shattered. It had made him cry in despair all over again and Prompto had never heard the Prince apologize so profusely, despite his constant reassurance that there was nothing anyone could have done, and that he was fine with it. That was a lie, but he was at least happier that it hadn’t been Ignis’ death that Noctis was crying over.

Noctis to his credit had tried to help Prompto where he could, but he wasn’t quite as tactful with it as Ignis was, despite his best efforts. Ignis was content to let Prompto try and navigate himself, only offering gentle nudges in the right direction and soft words of encouragement that meant so much more to him now. But Noctis just tried to guide him entirely. Eventually Noctis had realized that Ignis was better at it than he was, so he simply settled for letting him know what sort of terrain was coming up from his vantage point at the front of the group. Gladio had helped him up when he’d stumbled a few times, and often seemed to snap at Noctis to slow down and think about others. It had been a frustrating squabble and he was pleased that it was now behind them.

"It's not too far to Tenebrae now, only a few hours. I'm...  grateful that you guys are letting me go there" Noctis muttered. Prompto could tell from his tone that he didn't really want to talk about it.

"It's fine dude, we could all do with a few days there to chill out, y'know?" He said with a wave of his hand. He'd always wanted to visit Tenebrae, but now... well he wasn't quite as excited that he couldn't see what was rumored to be one of the most beautiful cities in Eos. He hadn't even had a chance to meet Lunafreya but he wanted a chance to pay his respects too.

"Prompto... look, I-" Noctis' words were interrupted by a sudden commotion further ahead in the train. It sounded like people shouting and scrambling around.

"What's going on?" Prompto asked, suddenly alarmed at the noise.

"I dunno. Hold on, I'm gunna go check" Noctis said, pushing out of his seat to move down the train. Prompto held his cane tightly in both hands, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. It was probably nothing, right? He was worrying just because he couldn't see, that was all. Probably nothing at all.

He heard the commotion come closer, and then he could feel the rumble of people running by him, feeling their arms and clothes brush against his shoulder. There was a sound of metal on metal that had him anxiously stumbling to his feet.

"Noct-" Fingers wrapped around his wrist, tugging him in urgency.

"Prompto, we have to leave, right now!" Noctis; that was definitely Noctis' voice. Prompto stumbled when Noctis pulled him along behind him, blending into the moving people.

"N-Noct! What's going on?!" He asked sharply.

"Imperials; they're taking over the train and we must move back, immediately!"

"What about Iggy and Gladio?"

"They'll be fine just keep pressing forward" Noctis insisted. What choice did he have, really? It wasn't like he could _see_ a damn thing that was happening! They came outside between two of the train's cars as far as he could tell, and Noctis stopped suddenly, making Prompto run into his back with a sharp yelp.

"Warning, Noct!"

"Go up"

"Up?! What are you-"

"There's a ladder, it'll take us to the roof so go up"

"Are you _crazy_?! I can't go on the roof, Noct! What are you thinking?!"

"I'm thinking, that you need to get _up_ and away from the heart of the fight!" Noctis was pulling his wrist again, pushing Prompto's hand against the metal of the ladder. Prompto was confused; so very confused. Something didn't feel right; Noctis wasn't pushy like this. He was speaking strange. He wouldn't put him in danger. He would be finding the others.

"Noct-"

"Just move!" Noctis finally snapped, pushing against his back to get him to go. Prompto gave in, hoisting himself up onto the ladder and climbing up carefully until he felt the roof, crawling up onto it carefully so as not to go flying off the damn train. He couldn't tell if Noctis had followed him or not but he felt more vulnerable up here than he had back down in the crowd. All he could do was sit down, gripping his cane tightly and trying to listen beyond the wind rushing past his ears.

A sudden hand on his shoulder made him jump, swiping his cane at the offending hold from behind him and forcing it to let go of him.

"Oh my, that _is_ dangerous" Came the sardonic drawl that send a shiver rushing down his spine. He could _never_ forget that voice.

"Ardyn..." He muttered, turning on his knees to face where he assumed the man was. "Should have known you'd be at the head of an attack like this" He carefully rose to his feet, not wanting to keep himself down so vulnerable to Ardyn.

"Oh come now, don't be so annoyed with me. I did pull you out of harm's way, after all" Prompto couldn't stop his entire body from shuddering that time. Of _course_ it was Ardyn... Noct would never have acted like that!

"You wanted to separate me from the others..." He realized, summoning his pistol to his hand even if he couldn't see to aim at him; the shadows of passing scenery blended with the moving shadow of his enemy. He was pretty sure that there was no one else up here, so at least he wouldn't risk hurting anyone else.

"Gold star, little Prompto. When a pack of Voretooth strike, they separate the youngest and _weakest_ Anak from the heard to snack on. Really, you should have known better" Ardyn teased, heavy boots thumping against the roof of the train. Prompto's head tilted to the sound, following the steps carefully as they tried to get around him. He raised his gun in warning.

"I may not be able to see you, but I can _hear_ you coming, don't think I'm going to let myself be prey to you!"

"Oh I do hope not. It takes all the fun out of the hunt when the prey gives in" One step too close, a soft thump directly in front of him. Prompto didn't hesitate, firing off a single round. He wasn't sure if it hit; there was no thump of a body hitting the deck.

He turned his head from side to side, desperately searching for any sound; anything that would give away Ardyn's location. Panic was rising up into his chest. He was alone, enveloped in darkness and with no way of finding _help._ He raised his gun above his head, firing off three more rounds and hoping, _praying_ that one of the others would hear it over the commotion inside.

He felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle with no time to react, feeling the brush of another body behind him. An arm came up around his throat, another hand tightly gripping his wrist and forcing him to drop his weapon with a gasp. His free hand went to the arm at this throat, trying to pull it off and let some damn _air_ in; his cane fell somewhere but he didn't even care, desperately trying to get some oxygen back into his lungs.

"My, my, much more resourceful than I took you for. And here I had hoped to be uninterrupted" Ardyn muttered, his voice conveying his annoyance. How the _hell_ had he missed him? He'd been so sure his shot rang true. "I don't appreciate being shot, little bird" There was a sharp warning in the tone that made him feel dizzy; or was it just the lack of air?

The grip loosened just enough for him to gulp down air like a fish out of water, choking on the sudden rush in his lungs. The arm slid back, replaced by Ardyn's hand; the grip was firm enough to hold him, but thankfully not so tight that he couldn't breathe.

"Prompto!" His ears were ringing; had he even heard that voice correctly? "Let him go!" Noctis shouted desperately, warping onto the train roof from a ruined Imperial ship above them.

"N-Noct-!" Prompto managed to gasp, but the fingers around his neck tightened in response, lifting his feet slightly from the train roof, so that he had to stand on his tip toes to avoid being totally strangled.

"And so the Prince arrives. I had thought the soldiers would keep you busy long enough, but your little gunman can be quite fierce when he tries. Like a baby Coeurl backed into a corner"

"Let him go you sick son of a-"

"Ah, ah, I wouldn't go insulting the one with your dear Prompto's life in his hands" He warned, releasing Prompto's wrist, only to press the muzzle of a familiar gun to Prompto's temple. Prompto's own pistol; how did he even get that? Noctis tensed, freezing where he stood so that he wouldn't provoke the crazed man to fire.

Prompto tried desperately to get his fingers under Ardyn's to get him off his neck, but the man's grip was firm and unrelenting. Panic fed every vein in his body, feet desperately trying to maintain balance on his toes and chest heaving with the effort it took to keep his lungs full. He couldn't do _anything_ to free himself. His brain simply couldn't fathom a solution.

"What the hell do you _want_ Ardyn?! You come around helping us, only to tear us back down... what the hell are you playing around for?!" Noctis demanded, gripping his engine blade tightly in his hand. Ardyn simply chuckled.

"You will meet me in Gralea. Where your precious crystal awaits you"

"And why should I believe that you are leading me in the right direction?"

"You have no choice; because your precious little friend here, will be waiting there for you too" Ardyn assured, taking a step back and making Prompto's legs flail in panic and scramble to find his tip toes again.

"Prom!" Noctis stepped forward too, but paused when Ardyn clicked the hammer of the pistol in warning.

Noctis' panicked cry of his name spurred his brain to react. He let go of Ardyn with his left hand, summoning the small handgun he had started this cursed journey with. He pointed it down behind him, not hesitating to fire. He cried out in pain when the bullet grazed the back of his calf, but the hand holding him and the gun to his head were removed with a sharp curse, allowing Prompto to fall flat down and gasp for a large breath.

Noctis threw his sword at Ardyn and warped with it, but the attack was quickly blocked by Ardyn's own sword, eerily similar in design to Noctis' engine blade. Ardyn parried the attack, grabbing Noctis by his collar and throwing him further down the train. Noctis skidded along and had to summon a dagger and stab it into the roof to keep himself on the train.

"I _warned_ you boy. You'll regret that" Ardyn snapped, turning back to Prompto as the blonde was pushing up onto his hands and knees.

All Prompto felt was the boot that slammed into his gut, and the air flying past him. He was sure he heard Noctis scream his name, but the next thing he was aware of was his body slamming into the hard ground, pain resonating through his head; then nothing.

In that instant, Noctis felt like the world had stopped entirely, all apart from the sight of his best friend flying from the train roof. Noctis could only stare in wide-eyed horror at the spot his best friend had been kneeling only seconds ago, his heart hammering against the inside of his chest like a caged Saberclaw trying to break free. Ardyn turned to face him, and red-hot anger flooded his veins. He pulled himself up to his feet, yanking his dagger out of the train roof and throwing it with an angered yell. It hit its mark in Ardyn's stomach and he followed it with a warp.

He appeared upon nothing, reconnecting with the dagger and thin air where Ardyn had been. He turned around sharply, but didn't find him standing there.

"I shall await you... in Gralea" Ardyn's voice haunted. But the source of the voice was gone, and Noctis had somehow missed his chance. The only blood on the roof was the stain smeared from Prompto's leg where he had fallen, and he cast his eyes away from it.

His phone ringing in his pocket forced him back to action. He cursed, letting the dagger fade away and dragging his phone out of his pocket to answer it.

 _"Noct? where the hell are you two?"_ Gladio demanded.

"I... I'm on the roof... Ardyn he... Prompto... Prompto's not on the train anymore!" Noctis explained quickly, feeling his chest tighten with his own words.

 _"What do you mean Prompto's not on the train anymore? Noct, what's going on? You need to get your ass back in here; we're in the dining cart"_ Gladio's orders grounded Noctis for a moment, enough for him to make his way to the edge of the train car to find his way back down. He could hear Ignis in the background demanding to know what was going on.

"Gladio, we... we have to stop the train"

 _"That can't happen, Noct. There's- Dammit Ignis, shut up! There's too many people on board. We'll talk when you get here"_ Gladio hung up on him abruptly after another comment from Ignis that was muffled to Noctis. But regardless, he made his way down from the roof and towards the dining cart.

He had barely taken three steps into the dining cart when a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders in an almost bruising grip and he met a face-full of Ignis; wide eyed, frantic, _completely wrong_ Ignis.

"What do you _mean_ Prompto isn't on the train anymore?!" Ignis snapped, giving Noctis' shoulders a shake.

"Wh-whoa, Ignis, what-"

" _Where is Prompto?!"_ Ignis demanded. Gladio stepped forward to grab Ignis' arms, forcing him to let go of Noctis.

"Calm the hell down Ignis! You're not damn well helping" Gladio snapped, shoving the advisor back a few steps and making him stumble to stay upright. Gladio spun on his heel to face Noctis. "Explain everything"

Noctis swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, looking between his two retainers. "Ardyn... he was the one who coordinated the attack... When the commotion started I tried to find out what was going on. I don't know what happened, but he got Prompto to the roof and... and I couldn't do anything. He had Prompto at gun point! Prompto managed to shoot him... I think... but it made him let go. I tried to attack him but he threw me off and... and he kicked Prompto off the roof" He explained, fists clenched tightly at his sides. He had never felt so utterly _useless_ as he had in that moment.

"I never should have left him. I promised him I wouldn't leave him and now this has happened!" Ignis snapped, hands running furiously through his hair to grip tightly. "Dammit... dammit!"

"Ignis, I think it's about damn time you told us what's happening between you and Prompto" Gladio said, folding his arms across his chest. "And don't pull any of that 'I dunno what you mean' bullshit. You ain't always the first awake. I've seen you two cuddled up like lovers. This kind of lack of control isn't like you Ignis" He said, leaving Ignis no room to argue or deny anything. Ignis turned away from him, lowering his arms to his sides.

"It... it's just sort of happened... We haven't really spoken about it. We haven't had a _chance_ to talk about it. But we wanted to give things a chance. I wanted to comfort him. I... I wanted..." He couldn't finish, moving himself to sit down in the nearest booth.

"So... you two are an item now?" Noctis asked. How had he missed that? He had thought it was just Ignis taking the caring role but now that he knew it was more than that, he could see the signs. The gentle way he tapped Prompto's arm to lead him the right way. The soft encouragement he constantly gave the blonde. The way they were never more than three feet apart from each other anymore.

"I suppose you could say that, yes... I care for him deeply... we have to find him before Ardyn does something to him" He insisted, lifting his head to look at his two companions. They could both see the desperation in his eyes. Ignis had never felt so frazzled in his life. Not even tending to Prompto's wound in Altissia had messed him up this much, but his heart _ached_ at the knowledge that Prompto has so easily fallen into enemy hands. He was utterly frustrated that he hadn't even been there to help him.

"Ardyn said that he would be waiting with Prompto and the crystal in Gralea... but Ignis, I _need_ you to get your head back on... I... I need my strategist, Ignis" Noctis said.

Ignis took in a deep breath, forcing himself to calm. He let it out slowly, before taking another deep breath in. "We drop off the passengers in Tenebrae... and we go to Gralea" Ignis insisted. "We'll find a way to operate the train. With any luck, we won't be too far behind them... the train likely isn't fast enough to keep up with a Magitek carrier but there's no faster way"

"What if it's a trap?" Gladio asked.

"What choice do we have? We cannot abandon Prompto. We were the ones who insisted that he was coming with us when he decided he could not. We all promised him that we wouldn't leave him behind and I for one am not about to leave him in the hands of a mad man if there is any chance we can rescue him" He looked to Noctis, who gave a small nod in agreement.

A hooded man at the bar smirked to himself, setting his glass down on the bar and rising to his feet, walking towards the three boys.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A cliffhanger for your feels-train~


	4. Conviction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto is at Ardyn's mercy. And he is not alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short-ish chapter, but the drama is setting in. Here, we stray even further from the Canon storyline! It's 3am so it's technically Monday, I'm gunna go die now LOL.

The first thing he was aware of was pain resonating in every part of his body; the majority of it was centered around his left leg, his head and his ribs. He groaned, trying to slowly get his arms under himself to push himself off his stomach to sit up. Prompto felt like he'd been hit by a train.

Or rather, kicked brutally off of one.

He lifted a hand to his throbbing skull, feeling something wet stick under his fingers from the back of his head. His other hand found the same wet substance at the back of his left calf from where he'd tried to shoot Ardyn off of him. Definitely blood then. He hissed a breath in through his teeth as he felt along his leg wound; it was a graze, not too deep and no longer actively bleeding as far as he could tell. He moved his hands to his tender ribs on his right side, barely even pressing before pain flared up again with a sharp gasp. He couldn't tell if anything was broken though.

He pressed his hands into the ground again to try and make it to his feet, when he finally realized that he wasn't on grass or dirt; he was on concrete and it was cold... really cold. "Something tells me... I'm not where I landed" He mumbled to himself. He jumped at the sudden crackle of static.

 _"A fabulous observation for someone who can't see a thing around him"_ Came Ardyn's usual teasing drawl. Prompto tilted his head, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. _"Oh don't worry, I'm merely observing you from elsewhere. I've learned that you hold particularly violent tendencies and I prefer not to be shot at. Immortals still have feelings, little Prompto"_

Prompto took in a deep, shuddering breath. He was alone; entirely at Ardyn's mercy. That was not a good feeling. Despite this, he just hoped that his friends were alright. It was better this way, right? He was already inhibited, he couldn't fight with them. Noct... had he got back to the others safely? "You... You better not have hurt Noct!" He snapped, trying to sound somewhat confident.

 _"Are you really in a position to be worried for your Prince? But I'll have you know, the last I saw of him, he was trying to kill me. A futile attempt, but I left him unharmed"_ Ardyn claimed, but Prompto held his doubts to himself.

"If you're expecting me to beg you for mercy or something, you better think again old man. I'm a Crownsguard, and my duty is to my King. I won't give in to you" Prompto snapped.

 _"A Crownsguard? Does someone like you truly deserve that title?"_

"I earned my place. King Regis didn't appoint me for nothing"

 _"Ah, but the old King didn't know who you REALLY are_ _"_

Prompto flexed his fingers uncomfortably. What was that supposed to mean? "I am Prompto Argentum. A citizen of Insomnia and Crownsguard to KING Noctis Lucis Caelum. I have no doubts about that" he snapped with renewed confidence. 

_"You know better than that, NH-01987. You know what that mark on your wrist means"_

Prompto grasped his covered wrist tightly. Of course he knew what it meant; that's why it was always covered. That's why he had never spoken about it to anyone, not even Noctis. "I don't care what you say... That's not who I am! You can take your taunts and shove them right up your-"

_"You were never born in Insomnia. You were **put** there. And I have brought you **home**. But I am nothing if not a generous man, little Prompto. I'll give you a chance to make it out of here"_

"And why should I trust anything that you say?"

_"Because you're not here alone, dear little bird... If you don't do as I say, there may be a little... accident"_

Prompto felt like the room had suddenly dropped in temperature. "Wh-what... You said you didn't hurt Noct!"

_"Noct? Oh no dear bird. I'm not talking about your Prince. I'm talking about your **lover** "_

Prompto went weak at the knees and couldn't stop himself from sinking to the floor, the action causing a sting to race through his left leg. "No... no, no, no... what have you... what did you do...?" He asked desperately.

 _"Nothing... yet. He's just a little tied up at the moment. You won't have noticed of course, but right now you're stood within a beautifully designed maze; your prize lays in the midst of it. Ah, but I would hurry if I were you... you wouldn't want the MTs to find him first"_ Ardyn chuckled, static ringing through the air as the feed was cut off.

"N-no, wait! Wh-what do you mean? Ardyn!" Prompto called out desperately, but the air remained silent. His heart thumped painfully against his ribs, anxiety creeping through every bone in his body. Ignis was apparently in danger, and he had to find his way blindly through a damn maze to save him. Was this _really_ happening right now? He couldn't even be sure that Ignis was really here. Ardyn's word alone wasn't much to go by, but could he afford to take that chance? The answer was easy.

He forced himself to his feet, holding a hand out in front of himself to try and find a wall to follow. Whatever happened, he _had_ to find Ignis. He couldn't risk disbelieving Ardyn for now; he had to make sure Ignis was safe but he had no idea how he was going to manage that. He found a wall with his left hand and started to follow it, making sure his fingers were always brushing along it. He could faintly hear the clinking of metal which no doubt came from the MTs Ardyn mentioned, and was relieved when he felt his Quicksilver materialize in his hand. At least he had _some_ kind of defense, though he wasn't sure how helpful that would be.

"You got this Prompto... just... keep moving" He mumbled. "You can do this. You have to do this. Just don't stop. Keep moving..." He imagined Ardyn chuckling as he spoke to himself but damn it, he needed some kind of encouragement even if it had to come from himself. He needed it to keep himself calm. That's what Ignis would do, right? He walked on until he felt the wall curve round to the left, and he turned the corner with it. Perhaps a left, right, left, right motion was his best bet?

Metal clamped hard around his ankle, sending him crashing down with a yelp and a crack as his head hit the wall on the way down. He rolled as best as he could onto his back, feeling the tug on his ankle. He gripped his gun tightly in both hands, pointing it down his legs and hoping he didn't put a hole in his foot. He fired twice, relieved not only when he didn't feel pain but also when the grip on his ankle was gone. He pushed himself back and waited to hear anything moving. Nothing. He tentatively reached out to feel whatever had grabbed him. He felt the cold metal, a curve and two good bullet holes. He followed the metal down and along. Ah, that was an arm... an MT then. But what was an MT doing on the floor? He pushed it away, using the wall to pull himself back up.

He felt himself sway and leaned against the wall for a moment to catch his breath, adrenaline thumping in his heart. He felt along his head for any fresh blood but only found a lump forming, thankfully. He carefully leaned his head back against the wall and let out a deep breath. So it was going to be like this, huh? Full of MTs and most likely traps too. Of _course_ it wasn't as simple as finding his way. "Noct was right, you are a son of a bitch" Prompto said. There was no snide reply which made him chuckle a little; but he wouldn't push his luck. Ardyn was still in control after all.

He ached _everywhere_ , and he'd barely moved from where he'd started. He couldn't have walked for more than ten minutes and he'd already been grabbed by some kind of dysfunctional MT. He could feel that his leg was dripping fresh blood from the previous wound, his head was thumping inside his skull and his ribs felt like they were jabbing into his lungs; he had _no_ idea how he was supposed to manage this when all he wanted to do was curl up and sleep forever.

He tried to take in a calming breath, slowly so as not to aggravate his ribs. _Focus Prompto_. What would the others do? Noctis would rush in, he knew that; there'd be no stopping him at all. Gladio would smash his way through anything and everything in his path. Ignis would _plan_. He would make a strategy. That was what he needed to try and do somehow. Without his vision, how could he work his way through the maze? Yes he could follow the walls, but the pathways were too wide to feel both sides at once to find where all the turns would be. He needed to follow another sense but what were those senses telling him?

Firstly, it felt like Shiva's _ass crack_ in here, he noted as a shiver raced down his body. If he didn't try to keep moving he would probably freeze; so he was pretty sure this was definitely somewhere in Gralea. At least Ardyn wasn't lying about that much. He tipped his head up a little to sniff the air. His sense of smell wasn't great, but there was a tinge of metal in the air and the remnants of fading gunpowder from his own gun. But there was something else there; something distinctly masculine... something... like aftershave.

It smelled far too much like Ignis, and brought new trembling to his knees. Maybe Ardyn really wasn't lying _at all_. He shook his head, slapping his cheeks for a moment. _FOCUS Prompto._ He needed to think more; what could he hear? Besides the pounding of his heart, he could definitely hear muffled shuffling; it sounded like metal on stone, so most likely more MTs. But there was a sound like gears turning; stone scraping against stone too. Something else was moving within the maze. Something growling and sniggering; goblins perhaps? Sure sounded like a goblin. None of it sounded directly close to him just yet though, so perhaps he could press on.

He pushed away from the wall but kept a hand steady on it, taking each step forward cautiously and trying to keep them quiet so he could hear anything different approaching.

 

* * *

 

Ardyn chuckled, watching Prompto crash land when the broken upper body of an MT latched onto him suddenly after his fruitless time walking. Did the boy even know he'd already been walking for almost an hour by now? Honestly, it was like watching a mouse in a trap. He reached across his control panel to flick a switch, watching a few... _changes_ occur within the maze. This trapped little bird would keep him entertained for _days_. He had made sure of it. Roads and rail tracks into Gralea had been destroyed to ensure that Prompto's friends would have to make part of the journey on foot.

"Oh how satisfying it'll be to watch you fall apart, little bird" He chuckled again, leaning back in his chair to watch Prompto lean on a wall and contemplate his _miserable_ situation. Yes, capturing him had been a delightful idea, and using his precious spectacled lover against him made it all the more fascinating. Just what would Prompto do if he ever found him?

_"Noct was right, you are a son of a bitch"_

"Oh _temper_. I'll make sure you follow the trail little one, so do keep moving" He spoke, even though he didn't have the intercom switched on. Though the blonde eventually did just that, pushing off of the wall to carry on through the maze.

"The clock is ticking, little bird..."


	5. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto pushes on, but what he finds is not what he expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm terrible at waiting until Mondays to update ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ But I was pretty eager to get this one out so have it two days early~

"Dammit, dammit, dammit! We're never going to find them at this rate" Noctis growled, phasing through another axeman's attempt at spilling his innards out.

"Quit bitching and just kill" Gladio snapped back, swinging the axe he stole from an MT into the face of another.

Ever since they left Tenebrae, the boys had been unable to summon their weapons; it was only the fact that they had found Ravus' dead body with Regis' sword that allowed Noctis any defence at all. Gladio on the other hand, had been forced to wield the axe. He absolutely loathed it; it was horribly different to his broadsword and although he'd had a lot of different weapon training, the axe was one he had never gotten along with. Regardless, he struck down the last of the group of crazy MTs that had been attacking them.

"Dammit Gladio, what the hell are we supposed to do? It feels like we've been walking in circles for hours and found nothing at all" Noctis complained, dropping himself to sit down and catch his breath. The ring settled on his right hand felt heavy, and he could feel the drain from it eating away at his magic reserves.

"Noct, I'm worried about them too. But if we don't keep moving we're definitely not going to find them. Iggy has a good head on his shoulders, I'm sure he'll figure something out"

"But he wasn't himself. He was _frantic_ Gladio. I've never seen him like that"

"I have... only once. But when push comes to shove, he gets it back together. Have some faith in him; and in Prompto too"

"It's been _days_. I'm scared for him. He was right, we should have let him stay in Altissia. He was safe there"

"And he would have been all on his own. If Ardyn had planned this from the start, he would have just gone to Altissia and got him. No sense dwelling on what we could have done, it's too late" Gladio propped the axe up against his shoulder and extended his free hand to Noct. "They can handle themselves, let's just keep moving" He encouraged. Noctis sighed, but grabbed Gladio's hand and accepted his help to get back on his feet.

 

* * *

 

Prompto yelped as he went crashing down yet again, his foot snagging on a tripwire for the umpteenth time. He landed hard on his arms, aggravating the cuts and bruises already there from all his other falls. His legs were in much the same condition and he didn't even want to know what he looked like right now; one hell of a mess no doubt. This time, he stayed down on the ground, lacking the strength to move himself just yet.

He pressed his forehead against the cold concrete under him, trying to catch his breath for a moment. He had long ago lost track of how long he'd been here, or how far he had walked, or where the hell he even was or when he had last _slept_. He was just so _tired_ and as much as he had sworn he wouldn't beg, a large part of him wanted this to be over. He just wanted to give in to whatever it was Ardyn really wanted from him.

He sobbed, curling his hands into tight fists. This place was worse than torture; he had run into so much trouble he wasn't even sure what was going on anymore. He'd been tripped over wires, loose bricks and broken MTs (some of which leaped at him). He'd had more than one MT self-destruct too close for comfort and parts of his skin still seared in pain from the burns; one had even blown up right on his back. A deranged axeman had taken a chunk out of his side and his only saving grace had been to tear up his jacket to try and make a bandage. He'd hit his head on so many low ceilings he was sure that he was far beyond a 'mild' concussion; perhaps he had lost his mind entirely. Maybe he had passed out days ago.

But that wasn't even the worst of it all. Twice he had fallen into _pools_. What kind of mad man installed _pools_ into a maze? No, that was a stupid question; Ardyn was a special type of crazy. But when the ground under him had suddenly been replaced with water, he had gulped down so much of it in his panic he was amazed that he hadn't drowned. He wasn't even sure if he had crossed them or ended up turned around. Perhaps it was even the same pool he had fallen in. _He just didn't know._

His entire body ached in bruising, cuts, grazes and bumps. He was confident now that at least one of his ribs was broken, if the metallic taste to his coughs and the stabbing pains had been anything to go by. His stomach growled desperately in hunger that he couldn't satisfy and he was so cold from the constantly decreasing temperature and the wetness that had been clinging to his clothes had only made it worse. He had lost all control of his shivering hours ago.

Prompto let himself roll onto his back, staring blindly up at the ceiling. "What do you _want_ from me?" He asked again, knowing he was never going to receive an answer. "Just what are you trying to accomplish? Drive me mad? Make me beg? Kill me? He's not even here is he? You just want to watch me stumble around like an idiot, you sick bastard" He muttered, lifting an arm to lay it over his eyes. He could sleep right here, he didn't care, he would give anything for just a few hours; but the constant scraping of metal against stone had made it impossible for him to feel safe enough to sleep.

How long had he been wandering around? Hours? Days? There had been no further smell, or any sound of Ignis at all; he was confident that he couldn't be here. It was just a trap to lure him around this ridiculous maze.

 _"Giving up already little bird? You're so **close** to your prize"_ Ardyn drawled over the intercom, prompting a groan from Prompto.

"Leave me alone. I don't believe you. It's been too long" Prompto muttered, waving a dismissive hand.

 _"How unfortunate for you to think so. He's done so well to stay alive these last three days. Ah, but the clock is ticking. He doesn't have long left"_ Ardyn warned. _"But, you are free to disbelieve me if you so desire"_ Prompto moved his arm off his face, pushing himself to sit up slowly and trying not to aggravate his sore ribs.

"For Astrals sake, why should I believe you? If it's been three days then I should have _heard_ him by now. That's one thing I can do" Prompto insisted, tipping his head back to look up.

_"I'll give you a hint then, shall I? Turn yourself around, take a right and then a left. Perhaps your ears will pick up on something then, little bird"_

"You're an asshole. I swear, if I get there and you're just toying with me, that's it. No more. I won't go any further! I'm not playing this game with you any longer" Prompto snapped, pressing a hand to the wall to drag himself up to his feet. He would take this chance. One last chance. He was too tired to go any further.

 _"Tick tock"_ Prompto snorted to himself, turning around and following the wall, being very careful of his steps to try and avoid any more trips. He wasn't sure why he was doing this; his entire body was screaming for rest, food and some damn potions. He summoned his gun again, just to make sure he was ready for whatever Ardyn had hiding around these corners.

It was on the left turn that he did finally hear noise. He paused, trying to focus on the sound. It was metal again, but this time it was colliding with more metal. Some MTs in a scuffle perhaps? The ones he'd found so far had all seemed deranged and perhaps unprogrammed, maybe they were turning on each other?

"Ignis?" He called out, tightening his grip on his weapon and listening for a tense moment.

"Prompto!"

"Ignis!" That was _him._ There was no doubting that soft accent, it was entirely Ignis. "I'm coming! Keep talking!" He called back, pressing forward with quicker steps.

"I can't- I can't hold them off much longer!"

"I'm coming! I promise I'm almost there! I can hear you!" It was hard, over the thumping of his own heart, but the sounds were definitely getting louder. Then, the sounds stopped just as Prompto rounded another corner. "Iggy!"

"I think that was the last o-" He was cut off by a loud shot. A cry of pain.

"Ignis! Iggy, oh god, are you okay?! Iggy!" He wasn't answering. Prompto drew his gun up to his chest, ready to attack. He almost fell around the next corner and something just _didn't_ feel right. The wall was gone. Was he out in the open? He listened intently for a sound; anything at all. Over his harsh breathing, he almost missed the faint whisper of his name. "I-Iggy? Iggy where are you...?" He asked desperately. There was a soft gasp, but that was all; it sounded close though. He let himself drop to his knees, brushing his free hand across the ground in front of him. "Iggy please, please, talk to me, please" He begged, feeling the sting of tears behind his right eye.

He froze entirely when his hand met a puddle. Bringing his fingers close to his nose he confirmed his worst fears. Blood. "No, no, no, Iggy, please" He whimpered, moving his hand deeper into the puddle until his hand found fabric. He clutched it tightly, dragging himself closer. He dropped his weapon to feel with both hands, up the buttons of the shirt under his hands until he found skin. "I-Iggy?" He asked again, hands moving along a slender neck and up a sharp jaw. He slid his hands under the neck and shoulders, pulling the slightly trembling body into his chest.

Another gasp, strained and painful; wetness spreading from Ignis' chest to his own. "No, no, c'mon Iggy, talk to me" holding him with one arm his free hand tried to find the source of the bleeding, finding a large wet patch on Ignis chest. He pressed down on it, desperately trying to stunt the flow of blood.

Cold fingers brushed against his cheek, which he now realised was wet with his tears. "Ignis, _please._ D-don't... I'm _here_ , don't leave me" He pleaded, holding him tightly as he felt the trembling in his hands stop. The hand on his cheek fell away. His own body was shaking uncontrollably as his breaths came hard and fast.

There was no heartbeat under his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I'm horrible.


	6. Ignis Scientia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth is revealed. Lets see whats happened to Ignis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grab the tissues folks. I actually found this kinda hard to write.

He heaved a deep sigh, looking at the crossroad ahead of him. There didn't seem to be anything in either direction of any importance, just a door at the end of each corridor. He heaved yet another frustrated sigh. Ever since being separated from Gladio and Noctis once they had arrived in Gralea that day, Ignis felt like he had been running in circles. There was no sign of the others, and definitely no sign of Prompto. Unable to call upon his weapons, his only saving grace had been stealth; given how frantic the MTs were around here it was nothing short of a miracle that he hadn't been caught yet. He had tried to call Gladio, but his cell phone had apparently been stolen at some point. He vaguely recalled a hooded figure bumping into him on the train; it must have been him who had taken it while Ignis and the others were preoccupied making plans to rescue Prompto.

"Looking for something, Advisor of the King?" Ignis felt his stomach drop and quickly spun on his heel, coming face to face with Ardyn's teasing smirk.

"Chancellor" Ignis greeted tensely, squaring his shoulders. He was alone and without any weapons; not an ideal situation, but he wasn't about to let his guard down.

"Lost a little birdie did we? What a shame. I could offer my assistance"

"And why, pray tell, would I trust the word of the man who brutally kicked a blind man off a moving train?"

"Because I know how desperate you are to find your little lover" Ignis narrowed his eyes at the maroon haired man. Ardyn reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a familiar looking device; Ignis' cell phone.

"You were the hooded man on the train" Ignis muttered.

"Yes, I heard all about your confession. How you wanted to _comfort_ him. How you _care for him deeply_. He's been looking for you all this time. Three whole days, wandering aimlessly" Ardyn teased, throwing Ignis' phone towards him; Ignis caught it quickly in both hands. "He's in such a poor state. Quite an emotional little bird; he's probably _grieving_ for you"

Ignis' brows knitted together, confused. What on _earth_ was he on about? Grieving?

"What have you _done_ Ardyn?" His question draw a smirk from the other man, who slowly paced back and forth in front of him, seemingly contemplating the question.

"Oh nothing much. I merely left him with a few... suggestions. He's through the door behind you on the right. You should find him much quicker than _he'll find you_ " Ardyn assured. Ignis glanced to the offending door for only a second, but when he looked ahead again, Ardyn was already gone.

He was trying to piece the information together. Ardyn had been there with them in the dining cart of the train; stealing Ignis' phone was probably just to prove that. He checked it, but the battery was dead. Ardyn heavily insinuated that Prompto was definitely here, but his words about Prompto looking for him caused him concern. Why was Prompto looking for him? Certainly he knew that Ignis would be with the others. But why, particularly, would Prompto be _grieving_ for him? Had Ardyn made Prompto believe that he was in trouble?

He took a moment to take a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. He had no choice; he needed to find Prompto. And if that meant he had to do as the Chancellor directed, then perhaps it was a chance worth taking. He looked to the door again, hesitating for just a moment before he cautiously pushed it open.

The walls were made of stone, stretching into a long hallways ahead of him. It was poorly lit, only by a few flicking fluorescent lights overhead so he switched on the light on his jacket as he took a few cautious steps forward. It was much colder in here than the rest of Zegnautus Keep, he noted with a shiver. Ignis was wearing his jacket, but when he had last seen Prompto, he was only in his casual red vest and sleeveless jacket.

His feet stopped at a stain on the ground. He bent down, rubbing his fingers into the rust-colored patch to examine it. "Blood" He muttered. Was it from the leg injury Noctis had mentioned, or was it something else? It couldn't be a demon, because it wouldn't be that color. There wasn't much so it couldn't have been serious... hopefully; but it did nothing to ease his worries. He pushed himself back up and carried on at a brisk pace.

This place was entirely different to the rest of the Keep. There were no metal walkways, no hissing MTs dragging themselves around; not that he could hear at least. In fact this whole place was eerily quiet. Where the hell was the Chancellor leading him? He turned the first corner, and stopped in his tracks once more. He cautiously stepped around the upper half of an MT, waiting to see if it would spring at him. He knelt down, pressing his fingers against the two perfect holes in its face. He spun his head around, _praying_ that Prompto was nearby somewhere; these _had_ to be bullet holes. "Dammit" He muttered, pushing himself to his feet and breaking into a run down the corridor.

 

* * *

 

It would seem this place was _endless_. He had passed so many broken MTs riddled with clumsy bullet holes; but that was the least of Ignis' worries. What was truly concerning was the numerous trip wires and low ceilings he had come across. He could just imagine Prompto stumbling around into these hazards and the very idea of it made his stomach churn uneasily.

Most alarming, was the MT axeman he had found with a bloodied axe and a mess all over the floor. He was losing his carefully collected composure with every new discovery. Every breath coming harder, every thought turning for the worst, his legs moving that little bit faster. It was an endless tunnel of twists and turns and _what the hell was Ardyn playing at?!_ Ignis had figured it out pretty quickly; he had dropped a _blind man_ into an astrals damned _maze_ and all Ignis could do was follow trails of destruction, blood and _fucking water stains_. He had been forced to jump over _two_ pools of water, both of which ended in a very human-shaped damp patch at the other side that could only have come from _his_ Prompto dragging himself out of danger.

He was blessed to be able to follow the trail of water, destruction and spots of blood that Prompto had left behind. But the horrifying reality was that while he had been doing so at a fast pace for hours, Prompto had been navigating this blindly for _days_. How many times had the blonde probably gone around in circles? His chest was aching with the mere thought of it. But it all pushed him to keep on moving forwards and finally, _finally_ he heard the first signs of life within these walls.

What was confusing, was that it sounded an _awful_ lot like himself.

_"I can't- I can't hold them off much longer!"_

It sounded a little far off, but he had to be somewhere in the right direction. He turned around a right corner and paused. There was an MT in the way, pacing back and forth on stumbling legs; but luckily unarmed. Finding a way around would take too long, he would have to take it on headlong. He needed to garnish its attention from afar; draw it towards him. After checking his pockets he realized he had nothing on him but his phone... well... he could always get a new one. With the accuracy of a man who had trained with small projectiles most of his life, he threw the phone at the MT and knocked it straight in the head.

A single glowing eye turned to face him, staring at him for a moment as he adjusted his feet slightly wider. The MT turned, barreling down the corridor at him with a wail like a dying demon. Ignis flinched at the sound, but held his ground, waiting for the MT to get close enough. He ducked under its flailing arms, pushing his shoulder up into its chest armor and all but throwing it over his shoulder. The MT crashed to the ground as Ignis whirled around, slamming his foot down its the green casing of its face. The was a crackle of static, its limbs jerking before the entire thing stilled, the eye no longer glowing.

 _"I think that was the last o-"_ A shot rang out, quickly followed by a cry of pain that definitely didn't sound like Prompto. Ignis whirled back around in that direction and broke out into another run. He _had_ to be close enough by now!

 _"Ignis, **please**. D-don't... I'm **here** , don't leave me"_ He stumbled on his own feet for a moment, having to catch himself on the nearest wall. Dear gods that was _Prompto_. That broken, pained, almost sobbing voice was no doubt his Prompto. His legs were shaking from the exertion; he hadn't stopped since entering this cursed place and he was certainly feeling it now.

"Dammit" He ground out through grit teeth, pushing away from the wall to carry on down the corridor until he finally turned a left; the space before him was wider; a circular room that had to be the heart of the maze.

And in it sat Prompto, his arms desperately wrapped around a broken MT; black sludge staining his hands and his chest, forming a puddle around his legs.

"Prompto!" He shouted, moving further into the room. Prompto's head snapped up, giving Ignis his first real look at the state that he was in. His closed left eye was swollen, marred with black, purple and yellow bruising. Blood left a trail down his forehead and nose from a nasty cut on a swollen bump to his hairline. His single, unseeing eye was filled to overflowing with desperate tears. His arms were black and blue like his eye, littered in grazes and cuts that had long ago stopped bleeding from all his falls and if Ignis had to make an educated guess, he would assume his legs were in the same condition. His black jacket was missing, ruined and wrapped around his waist most likely to stunt the flow of yet another injury.

He approached slowly, cautiously. Of course, Prompto couldn't see him and Ignis was not by any means a stupid man; Ardyn was playing tricks on Prompto using his voice. Prompto must be thinking that the MT in his arms, covering him in that awful black sludge was actually Ignis.

"Prompto, it's alright, that isn't me, Prom-" He never finished his sentence; Prompto's gun appeared in his hand and a single shot rang out, cutting across the outside of Ignis' right thigh and sending him tumbling to the ground with a pained cry. He clamped a hand around the wound quickly, silently praising the Six that the shot had only taken a chunk out of his leg and hadn't severed any major arteries. But Six be damned, that _hurt_ and not just physically.

"Leave me alone! What more do you want from me you _sick_ bastard?!" Prompto shouted, his voice hoarse and breaking and _so pitiful_ that Ignis wanted to wrap him up in his arms and never let him go. He grunted, slowly pushing himself to sit up with a hiss as the motion jarred his leg. Prompto's hand was shaking, gun still poised to shoot if he heard anything that spooked him.

Ignis shifted slowly, cautiously onto his knees, crawling closer to Prompto but making sure he could hear him coming, even if it meant that gun was pointing directly at his face. "Prompto..." He muttered quietly. "Just... give me one moment... one chance" He pleaded softly, stopping when the barrel of the gun nudged against his forehead, and he watched the way that Prompto's eye widened as he felt it.

"If you truly do not believe in me, than you can pull that trigger" He spoke slowly as he raised his hand, letting his fingers gently brush over Prompto's hand and up his arm, curling lightly around his wrist. "No one would blame you... not after what you have been through... just... trust in me" He muttered, gently tapping his index finger against the inside of Prompto's wrist three times.

Realization dawned on Prompto's face, his gun clattering noisily to the ground at the motion that had become _so familiar_ in such a short time. It was a silly little thing that Ignis had started with him, tapping him three times whenever his hand landed on him to let him know who it was. To reassure him that Ignis was _there_ and that he wasn't being left behind. It was a familiar little motion that no one could possibly have copied.

"I-Ig... Iggy...?" He questioned cautiously, his hand moving forward to clumsily brush against Ignis' cheek. Warmth spread across his fingers at the contact and suddenly, the body held against him just... didn't feel right. It felt too hard; too... metallic. He dropped it and let it clatter to the floor so that he could bring his other hand up to feel the face in front of him.

"I'm _here_ Prompto" Ignis confirmed. He let his hand slide up Prompto's arm and shoulder, gently sliding into his hair to tangle his fingers there. Prompto leaped at him, but he was able to catch him with his other arm, holding him tightly against his chest as Prompto broke out into desperate sobs, wrapping his arms around Ignis' neck tightly. He gently pet Prompto's hair, his other hand rubbing soothing circles into his back. "I've got you Prom" He mumbled, nuzzling his face into Prompto's hair.

Prompto was _alive_. Prompto was back in his arms. He was _safe_. Now, they just needed to find their way out.


	7. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis and Prompto need to get out, but how?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to take a moment to thank everyone for the kind comments and messages I've had both here and on Tumblr. I was having a really rough time but things are okay now. I can't promise a new chapter every week, but I only have one or two left for this fic. Thank you for your continued support~

Ignis held Prompto against his chest gently while the boy dozed, exhaustion having taken its hold of him. He knew they should be moving to get out of here, but at the same time Prompto needed to just _stop_ for a while. He could take the chance to look over Prompto's injuries at the very least.

First of all he looked over his arms; they were littered with black and blue bruising as he had spotted initially, small patches of blood dribbling out of dirty cuts and grazes. He was cold to the touch and Ignis made a mental note to put his own jacket on him. He could feel rough skin on Prompto's back and after a very cautious shift, he realized that the skin across Prompto's back was burnt, peeling and flaking though not bleeding. He reached down to carefully tug the torn legs of Prompto's pants up and found his legs in the same condition as his arms. His eye was still swollen and the cut to his hairline wasn't bleeding anymore; he could feel another lump at the back of his head, hidden under his hair. Now, he needed to look at his side.

He slowly eased Prompto to lay down and shrugged off his jacket, folding it up to tuck it under Prompto's head. He untied the sloppy attempt at a bandage made from Prompto's jacket to inspect the deep gash underneath. It had clipped his right side just under his ribs; he didn't know how old it was, but it was still sluggishly leaking blood and covered in filth. He carefully rolled Prompto's shirt up, and couldn't stop the small gasp that escaped him when he noticed the colourful bruising around Prompto's ribs. He carefully felt along Prompto's ribs, yanking his hands away when Prompto gasped suddenly. There was definitely at least one broken rib there.

He looked back up to Prompto's face, and noticed that he must have woken up since his right eye was cracked open. He shuffled around him and carefully lifted Prompto's head onto his lap, gently running his fingers through Prompto's hair.

"We need to try and move, Prompto. Before anything else can find us here" He explained quietly. Prompto gave a groan, letting his eye close again. "I know, I'm not eager to move you but I don't know what might happen if we stay... We need to try and regroup with the others" He explained.

Prompto's body stiffened under him as a crackle of static filled the air.

 _"Ignis! Can you hear me?"_ Noct's voice filtered through. Ignis felt his own shoulders slump a little in relief.

"Yes, Noct, I can hear you"

_"Good! I think we found a control room. There's cameras everywhere and loads of switches. Are you guys okay?"_

"As alright as we can be. Can you get us out of here?"

_"I think so? There's a lot of switches attached to the place you're in and I don't know what they do. Maybe if I-"_

"Noct..." It was Prompto's voice that interrupted him. Ignis cast his eyes back down to him, and immediately noted that the tension hadn't left his body; in fact he was trembling. "When... when did we meet?" He asked. Ignis narrowed his eyes a little with concern, bringing his hands back to Prompto's head to check for any injury he may have missed. Was he really that bad? But Prompto lifted his hands to nudge his away. "No... if it's Noct, he'll know" He muttered.

Ignis heard Noctis sigh; somewhat in relief, but also exasperation. _"We met in Elementary. I was hiding from our classmates behind the school and you tried to come and talk to me. You tripped, and I helped you up. You thought I wanted your camera, you were so surprised I wanted to help. But... you were embarrassed too. After that you wouldn't come near me. You'd hide away and I thought... perhaps I had really upset you. I think I said something stupid. I barely saw you again until High school. You slapped me on the back and acted like we'd been friends forever"_ Noctis explained.

Ignis gently massaged Prompto's shoulders as the tension started to leak out of them slowly. _"I'm **sorry** Prompto. I should never have left your side on that damn train... I swear, I'm going to get you both out of there. When this is all over, I'll make it up to you. For **everything** you've done"_ Noctis muttered. Prompto gave a faint sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry... I thought... I thought you were... him..."

 _"I know buddy... think you can stand up and let Specs help you? I think we're all ready to get the heck out of here"_ Noctis said softly. Prompto gave a small nod, so Ignis slid his hands under his shoulders to help him sit up slowly, being careful of his wounded side. First of all he wrapped his jacket around Prompto's shoulders. Ignis grabbed Prompto's discarded gun and handed it back to him, pulling Prompto's left arm around his shoulder and helping him stand, wrapping his other arm around Prompto's waist.

"Alright, Noct. Lead the way" Ignis said, holding Prompto close to his side.

 _"Yeah, let me just... hm..."_ They heard a click, and then the sound of stone grinding heavily against stone. _"Oh dear Astrals. Guys, this whole thing **moves**. These switches control the walls. I might be able to make you an easy exit if I figure them out!"_

"What do you mean? You can move the walls?" Ignis asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

 _"Yeah, this is crazy. Just hold tight one second while I toy with this a bit"_ More clicking and more grinding, the very ground under their feet was vibrating. Ignis held Prompto tighter; white hot anger was starting to _burn_ in his veins. Ardyn had likely been moving things around this _whole damn time_. It certainly explained why he had been able to find Prompto in mere hours, despite the blonde needing _days_ to make it to the centre. He had been turning Prompto in circles the whole time.

"Iggy...?" Prompto muttered. "How... how long have I been here? I'm so _tired_ " He asked, leaning his head on Ignis' shoulder. Ignis gently loosened his tight hold, not wanting to add any further discomfort to Prompto's wounds.

"Too long... We're going to find you somewhere to rest, I promise..."

 _"Okay I managed to shorten the route out. If I'm reading this stupid map properly then you should come out near us. Now if you-"_ There was a loud crackle of static from the intercom; some muffled shouting that made both Ignis and Prompto turn their heads. _"Gotta make this quick you guys, we uh... got a situation here... go straight an- I know Gladio! -go straight and take three lefts and two rights; that should take you to a door. Through there and the third room on the right should be us! There's demons prowling, be careful an-"_ Another sharp crackle of static, and everything went silent.

"I-Ignis..."

"They'll be alright, they can handle themselves. Come on, let's get out of here and go help" Ignis stated, making sure his hold on Prompto was secure before he started to move forward. Prompto required more support than he had originally thought; but he was doing his best to keep up. "Keep a firm hold on that gun. I'm unable to summon my weapons at present... if anything does block our path I'll direct your aim"

Ignis led the way, following Noctis' directions with caution, checking around the corners before he turned them. Prompto was struggling, but he remained silent; all he wanted was to get the hell out of this place. When Ignis found a door he quickly shoved it open, and almost barrelled right into Noctis and Gladio. He tightened his hold on Prompto to stop him from doing the same.

"We gotta go, like now" Noctis said quickly. Gladio stepped around him, coming up on Prompto's other side.

"Goin' up kid" He warned, sliding his arms behind Prompto's back and under his knees, lifting him up quickly despite Prompto's startled gasp.

"Careful, his side is wounded deeply" Ignis quickly stated, taking Prompto's gun from out of his hands. He may not be able to summon his weapons, but he'd had a little gun training before starting this cursed journey. "We need to find somewhere to tend to Prompto's injuries"

"Got it, the map showed some bunkers up ahead" Noctis said, leading on down the corridor quickly with the others trailing behind. A loud crash behind them prompted Ignis to turn around; three MTs were quickly barrelling down the corridor behind them.

"Noct!" He warned quickly, raising Prompto's gun; he took a moment to take aim and fired, sending one MT down.

"I got it!" Noctis assured, letting Gladio pass him as he stepped back to where Ignis had stopped. He stepped in front of him and held out his right hand. A red light glowed from his hand, pulling red threads of light from the remaining MTs. Ignis watched in fascination as the magic trailed up Noctis' arm, until the MTs withered away and shattered into dust.

"Noct... is that...?"

"The power of the Ring... yeah... but it's... tiring" Noctis panted, drawing his hand back to his chest to let the magic settle. "We need to keep moving before more show up"

They managed to find a side room with two bunk beds and piled into there, locking the door securely behind them. Noctis and Ignis sagged into the nearest chairs in relief while Gladio laid Prompto down on one of the lower beds.

"You still with us buddy?" He asked. Prompto give a nod and a hum to confirm. Gladio leaned back against the door; mostly to listen out for anything approaching. Ignis was the first to move, pushing out of the chair to sit on the edge of the bed and carefully brush Prompto's hair out of his face.

"Noct, are you able to summon any curatives?" He asked.

"No, but with the Ring on I can tap into the crystal again. I might be able to conjure some healing magic" He offered, dragging himself out of the chair to cross the room. He paused though, finally able to take in the state his best friend was in. He looked like he'd been through hell. "Prom, I'm going to have to touch you for this, alright?" He asked.

"Yeah... yeah I'm good with that" Prompto muttered. Ignis shifted out of the way to sit nearer to Prompto's head and continue brushing his fingers through blonde hair. Noctis carefully rolled up Prompto's shirt to find the source of blood there first. He settled his hands on either side of the wound, drawing on the crystal's magic to feed some healing through to the wound. Prompto shifted uncomfortably at the sensation as the wound slowly knitted itself back together, but the relief was better than the discomfort.

As Noctis worked his way around Prompto's body, the tension in his muscles relaxed, leaving a feeling of weightlessness in its place. Eventually, with the pain gone from his body, Prompto fell asleep. Ignis continued to stroke his hair while he rested.

For the few hours that followed, the three men talked quietly among themselves. They spoke about the Ring and how its power felt to Noctis. They talked about what they could do next. Gladio broke away from the room for a short time to double back past an office he had noticed and managed to find a vending machine, which he broke open to get them all something to eat. That was when they finally roused Prompto from his content sleep; to get food into him. He didn't manage much, but it was enough to help perk him up a little. With the worst of his injuries now feeling better, he was able to sit up on his own.

Their rest was short lived. They didn't have enough time to stop and relax, knowing that Ardyn was prowling somewhere. They had two choices; escape, or go for the crystal. It was a _hard_ choice. Peace relied on the crystal's power, but they were barely armed and exhausted; they didn't even know if it was really here but Noctis was sure he could feel the hum of magic growing stronger.

"The best we can do is try to find a way out. If we can find somewhere to hide and recover, we may be able to devise a better strategy for finding the crystal" Ignis suggested, sat next to Prompto on the edge of the bed and holding him close with an arm around his waist. He wasn't letting Prompto out of his sight from here on.

"The problem is, we need to find a way to get our weapons back. I can use the crystal's magic, but not my own, so I can't access anything other than my father's sword. We only have that and Prompto's gun" Noctis noted.

"And the Ring, but that power comes with a price" Ignis muttered thoughtfully. Noctis was right; with no weapons they couldn't defend themselves.

"Then where do we go from here?" Prompto asked, lifting his head from Ignis' shoulder to join the conversation.

"We must find whatever is blocking our weapons. I believe that Ardyn is responsible for it. There must be something within this Keep that will restore them to us... we should look for it" Ignis stated. Noctis and Gladio gave nods of agreement. "Are you going to be alright to carry on, Prom?"

"Yeah, I think so. I mean, I ache but I don't feel so bad anymore. Whatever Noct did really helped" He assured.

"Your side isn't fully healed so try to be careful not to reopen it. I couldn't heal any internal stuff to your head either" Noctis informed him.

"That's okay, I'll be careful" Prompto promised with a firm nod, shuffling to the edge of the bed. He stood, Ignis quickly following to make sure he was steady, but Prompto seemed to be able to hold his own weight now.

Gladio was the first to step out of the room, followed by Noctis and then Ignis, leading Prompto by his hand. As soon as the door closed behind them, a loud, screeching roar sounded behind them. They all turned sharply, coming face to face with a demon that barely even fit down the corridor; large, red, and not unlike a demon from stories of hell itself.

"Run for it!" Noctis shouted, spurring them all into action. Ignis tugged Prompto to follow and took the lead, followed by Noct with Gladio up the back. The demon was slowed by the cramped space, but continued to roar and screech at them.

 _"The Ring! Give me the Ring!"_ It screamed, slamming its hands into the walls to dig in its claws and drag itself forward, large wings knocking parts of the ceiling loose around it.

"Wh-what the hell is that?!" Prompto asked, holding onto Ignis' hand tightly so he wouldn't fall behind.

"A demon, but not one like anything we've ever seen! It's freakin' _talking_!" Noctis explained in a hurry.

 _"Give me the Ring!"_ It screamed again, taking a swipe at Noctis but only managing to catch the tail of his jacket. The corridor came to an end and Ignis shoved the door open to run into the next room; it was a spacious circular room, with another circular room in the middle. He headed straight for the open doors, hoping they might be able to close themselves inside for some protection.

Ignis tugged Prompto inside and let him go to check out the keypad quickly. The demon had got itself stuck in the narrow doorway, giving Gladio and Noctis time to get into the throne room with them. Ignis tried a few buttons, and much to his relief, the automatic doors quickly shut behind them. They all doubled over to catch their breath as the demon finally got itself loose. It didn't attack, but they could see it circling around the room they were trapped in.

"That was... too close" Gladio panted.

"Agreed" Ignis muttered.

"Guys, what's that sound?" Prompto asked, lifting his bowed head now that he felt like he could breathe again. "There's something humming..." He added.

"That'd be whatever that machine to your right is, I would assume. It is rather large" Ignis said, moving closer to the machine to examine it. He didn't get much of a chance, before Noctis buried his sword into it and shut it down. "Noct!"

"I don't care what it is, if its linked to the Empire then it gets destroyed" Noctis muttered, pulling his sword free. Ignis wanted to give him a stern lecture about just how _stupid_ that logic was; but shut his mouth when his daggers materialised in his hands. Gladio caught his great sword as it appeared and Prompto let out a startled yelp as his Bio Blaster appeared, almost knocking him off balance. "Well there you go" Noctis chuckled.

"Heh... about time. Let's get this demon and send it back to the abyss it came from" Gladio said, resting the hilt of his sword on his shoulder.

"I second that" Noctis said, summoning his preferred Engine Blade. He couldn't see where the demon was, but Noctis took the opportunity to open the door and step out.

He didn't expect it to slam shut behind him, before his friends had any chance to follow him. He spun around to look at what the hell was going on, but even the control pad by the door had turned off. Ignis tried to get it working while Gladio looked around.

"What's going on?" Prompto asked, turning his head to see what he could hear. There was a loud clang, and then the sound of stone scraping together. Ignis and Gladio looked up, only to find the ceiling coming _down_.

"Oh crap. Oh _crap_ Noct, the roof is coming down on us!" Gladio yelled, slamming a hand against the door.

" _What?!_ Can you get the door open?"

"The control pad is no longer operational" Ignis stated, pressing every damn button but getting no response.

 _"What a shame. All by yourself, oh Chosen King"_ Ardyn's voice drawled through the intercom that seemed to run through this entire cursed building. Ignis pushed away from the panel to set himself firmly at Prompto's side. Prompto dismissed his weapon in favour of finding Ignis' shirt to hold tightly when he felt him brush against him. Ignis didn't miss the tremors in Prompto's hand.

"Ardyn! Let them go!" Noctis shouted, looking around but seeing no sign of the accursed.

 _"I'm afraid I cannot. Not yet at least. You didn't really think I was going to let you leave so easily now, did you? You have a crystal to reclaim young King. And you're **so** close to it. Surely you can **feel** its presence calling to you"_ Ardyn teased.

"I won't leave them" Noctis snapped, but Ardyn just chuckled.

_"You don't have a choice. The longer you wait, the lower the ceiling will come. I suspect you only have about six minutes before your friends become very attractive pancakes. You had best hurry and claim your prize before it happens"_

Noctis turned around, pressing a hand to the hardened glass beside the door. It was damn thick, there was no way he could break through. "Guys, I..."

"Go, Noct. With the power of the Ring you can protect yourself" Ignis said quickly. The roof was moving slowly, but its looming presence was a deadly threat. He didn't want to consider what would happen when it started to crush the machine or the throne, both of which were barely taller than Gladio.

"But what if-"

"You have to take the chance, Noct. You are _King_ , you must press onwards, regardless of what the consequences may be. The prophecy relies on _you_ , not on us... The best you can do for us, is retrieve the crystal's power. Ardyn is many things but so far he has not proven himself to be a liar. This is your best chance at saving us" Ignis glanced back at Gladio and Prompto, who were both simply nodding faintly. "Go, Noct"

It was the _last_ thing Noctis wanted to do but Ardyn was right. He _could_ feel the hum of the crystal's magic growing stronger. He looked over to where he could feel it strongest, but spared a final glance at his friends. He forced himself to turn away, crossing the room as quickly as he could. He _had_ to get to the crystal before that ceiling reached his friends.

Gladio started going around the room, looking to see if he could find anything that they might be able to use to force the doors open.

"Iggy... is... is Ardyn right? Do we only have six minutes?" Prompto asked quietly, his head tipped back to gaze blindly above them.

"I can't say for sure, Prompto... but it would appear that the Chancellor is correct" He admitted, gently tapping Prompto's arm as he laid his hand on it. "Noct will get there in time, we must have faith in him" He stated, sounding confident in Noctis' abilities. He just prayed Ardyn wasn't lying.

"I hope so... we'd be horrible pancakes" Prompto muttered, trying to lighten the atmosphere a little; he felt like it worked when he heard Ignis chuckle and Gladio snort.

"That we would" Ignis agreed. Right now, there was nothing they could do. The ceiling was approaching, closer and closer with every passing minute. Eventually, Ignis tugged Prompto to lower to his knees. They all flinched when the ceiling started to crush the machine down in a horrible display of sparks and flying debris. Next was the throne, crumbling under the pressure.

It was a horrible realisation for just how short their lives had been. At twenty, twenty-two and twenty-three none of them could really say they had _lived_. Lived in service, yes. Lived in determination, yes. Prompto had lived in uncertainty for so long. Ignis held his breath for a moment; yet again, any hope of them having a future... a future _together..._ was being stripped away from them. Their budding relationship would end here, along with their lives.

Prompto was trembling under Ignis' hand again, even Gladio was breathing harder as the ceiling draw in ever closer. They laid down on their chests, Ignis holding Prompto's hand tightly and reaching out for Gladio's too. If this was going to be their last moments, at least they could spend them knowing there was still hope for this world if Noctis made it to the crystal. Gladio grunted when he felt the ceiling start to press against his back, putting pressure on his ribs against the hard ground.

Then, it simply stopped.

They all held their breath, waiting for the final life-ending crush. Whatever mechanics had been lowering the ceiling creaked loudly and made them wince, but rather than crushing them, the ceiling began to lift. Faster than it had lowered, the danger was gone from over their heads. They quickly moved to stand up as the doors slid open and one by one they stumbled out of the room, collectively heaving deep sighs of utter _relief_. Ignis bundled Prompto into his arms in a tight hold that was returned, and even Gladio threw his arms around the two of them. It had been _far_ too close.

"We gotta get to Noct" Prompto said quickly and the others hummed a confirmation; there was no time to waste on themselves. Ignis took his hand once again and they were moving in the direction Noctis had disappeared. It led them to a tall room, empty save for the crystal, and Ardyn stood before it.

But Noctis was gone, swallowed up by the crystal.


	8. The Final Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis returns, and the brothers face their final battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my GOD you guys, it's finally here. After weeks of sickness and general miserable health, this is the end. The finale. Thank you SO much to everyone who has stuck with me for this, my very first go at a FFXV fic. Kinda sad to see this come to and end but who knows, maybe one day I might write a sequel~! 
> 
> I want to give a shout out to the AMAZING fanarts I've received for this fic! Honestly, I am so humbled that people have enjoyed this enough to find inspiration! Please check my profile to see the awesome arts and to support those who made them!
> 
> Without further hesitation, I give you, the end.

This world was nothing like he remembered at all. When he awoke in Angelgard it was to darkness; alone except for Umbra waiting for him. He wasn't sure how there was a boat waiting for him, but after spending so long floating in nothingness, completely alone, he wasn't going to question anything that returned him to civilization. But there was no civilization to return to. He had noticed it immediately; the silence that surrounded him as he approached the dock at Galdin Quay.

If anything Bahamut had told him was true, then Eos had been plagued with darkness for a while now, and the demons prowling around were completely free to roam. The moment his feet landed on the dock, they were turning their beady eyes on him. There were _so many_ of them, descending on him like a pack of hungry Voretooth. He _ran_ , as fast as his stiff legs would take him and despite the ache in his knee. He ducked between demons up the stairs, through the diner and across the walkway; he took to the road.

He didn't make it far before more demons were on top of him. He summoned his sword, trying to fight them off as best as he could. His limbs were stiff, aching and tired. He shouted when he fell to the ground, throwing his right hand up and calling on the power of the Ring to deal with the goblins that had swarmed him. They seemed to never end; one replacing another after he dispelled them.

There were two left, one at his back and the other at his front, growling and snarling at him like rabid dogs. He was _tired_ and needed somewhere to hide. He needed to find safety.

When the first gunshot rang out, Noctis ducked down low just in time for the second shot to fire. Both demons fizzled away into nothing, and Noctis spun on his heel to thank his helper. He stopped short, the words dying in his throat.

"See Iggy, I told ya. I'd know that shout anywhere"

"Indeed, right on the mark as always, dear"

"Welcome back buddy!" Noctis stared, frozen with shock. His _friends_... they had changed, but it was them. Prompto shifted uncomfortably. "Umm... Noct? Dunno what's goin' on in your head bu- ah!" His words were interrupted by the arms that flung around his neck, and Prompto only just managed to stay on his feet thanks to Ignis' firm hands at his back. He chuckled fondly, patting Noctis on the back. "Yeah... we've missed you too"

"I thought you were all _dead_... I thought I was too late. I was so sure..." Noctis muttered, one hand reaching out to drag Ignis into the firm embrace too, which his advisor returned with a soft pet to his hair.

"Come now, we can explain it all to you... but we ought to move before more demons spawn. The car is just down the road" Ignis said, carefully prying them all apart. Getting Noctis to let go of them took a little urging, but eventually he complied, rubbing his arm over his eyes to rid himself of the moisture that had gathered.

"Yeah... let's go"

 

* * *

 

Ignis had been quick to usher them towards the car; Noctis had been both stunned and relieved to see the restored Regalia. Last he had seen her, she'd been destroyed. He took up his usual seat, as did Ignis and Prompto, and as soon as the headlights were on, Ignis was taking them back onto the road.

"That was... pretty badass back there Prom. Gotta say I'm pretty relieved to see you guys, but where is Gladio?" Noctis asked.

"I sent him a quick message, and he's going to be meeting us at Hammerhead" Ignis assured.

"Okay... next question, what is that on your head Prom?" Prompto lifted a hand to tap at the headphones; heavily modified with what looked like little speakers on the top.

"These bad boys are a little creation of mine. Cindy helped of course, but it was all my idea. They let out sound waves that can't be heard by human ears, but there's a chip in the headphones that relays the frequency back to me like a faint humming. The sound waves bounce off stuff and the headphones pick up on it for me... kinda like a bat" He explained with a shrug.

"I dare say he's faster to react than the rest of us. His accuracy is impressive"

"Well, I've had ten years to practice" Prompto chuckled, but Noctis quickly leaned forward in his seat.

" _Ten years_? I've been gone for _ten_ years?" He asked, looking between the two in front. Ignis' grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"Yes. A lot has changed in your absence. I believe we're due a proper catch up when we rejoin with Gladio"

"C'mon Ig, lighten up a little! We're gunna have the whole squad back together again! Today's a good day" Prompto said, stretching his arms up over his head. "So have you changed too, Noct? Or does crystal-time not work like real time?" He asked, turning in his seat to better face Noctis.

"Uh..." Noctis took a moment to run his hand through his hair; longer, and more of a dull charcoal compared to his previous black. "I guess I have... I certainly feel older. Everything's stiff" He muttered, rubbing a hand over the hair growing across his jaw. It felt itchy, but he didn't know how it looked. No doubt Ignis would neaten him up later. "So I guess we're... thirty now?"

"Yeah, gotta admit I didn't think we'd ever get this old"

"I beg your pardon?" Ignis muttered.

"Ah! Not old, just... older?" Ignis huffed, reaching over to playfully tug Prompto's headphones down his face, earning himself a squeak from the blonde.

"I see how it is. We get Noct back and suddenly we're all _old_. You have no mercy, dear" Ignis said as Prompto fixed his headphones back into place. Noctis gave a hearty chuckle. It was nice to see some playful banter in such a dark world.

"Hey Prom, what's with the chin fluff? That the best you could do in ten years?" Noctis teased. Prompto gasped in fake offense.

" _Noct_ , I thought you of all people would appreciate the manliness of my goatee"

"You wish, That's nothing compared to what I've got going on over here"

"Rather _unkempt_ for a _young_ King" Ignis teased.

"Ouch, that one almost hurt Ignis" Noctis said. He shifted up in his seat a little more when he finally saw the bright lights of Hammerhead. It was nothing like he really remembered; now fortified to keep out demons. At the sight of the Regalia, the gates were pulled open and Ignis easily slid the car into its usual space.

As they stepped out of the car Noctis looked around better. The garage looked like it was still running, but the store was closed and the diner was mostly boarded up and full of supplies. Everyone around here wore dog tags, so he figured this must be a Hunter base.

"What, am I invisible or somethin' now?" Came a gruff voice to his left. He turned to face his Shield properly.

"I dunno, you're a bit late to the party Gladio" Noctis shrugged. Gladio laughed, slapping a hand hard across his back and almost sending him tumbling.

"You're one to talk _your majesty_ " He teased, giving Noctis' hair a ruffle. "C'mon inside... got lots ta tell ya"

 

* * *

 

When they sat around the campfire, ready to face the final leg of their cursed journey, not many words were being said. Noctis sat forward, elbows resting on his knees and his hands firmly clasped together as he observed the others. Gladio was in a similar position, letting his own hands hang limp between his knees, watching the fire. Prompto was sat across Ignis' lap, one arm hooked around his shoulders while Ignis had an arm around Prompto's back, his other hand rubbing up and down Prompto's leg slowly.

"You guys..." Noctis started, drawing their attention to him. He took in a shaking breath. "You know that... that I'm not... coming back with you..." He muttered, tearing his eyes down to the fire. "When this is all over... I'm..."

"Noct... we know" Ignis said quietly, lightly tightening his hold on Prompto. Noctis forced himself to look up at his advisor.

"You... know?"

"I've spent the last ten years researching the prophecy Noct. We understand very well what is going to happen tomorrow"

"We've had an awful long time to think about it" Prompto muttered, turning his head in Noctis' direction. "I think we know it by heart now"

"Many sacrificed all for the King..." Ignis muttered.

"So the King must sacrifice himself for all" Gladio ground out bitterly. Noctis turned to him, meeting his amber eyes across the camp, and feeling nothing but empathy. "Don't look at me like that. I get it. My role here has pretty much become obsolete... But until you face that son of a bitch, I'll shield you the whole way" He assured.

"I'll hold you to that... Gunna need all the help I can get" Noctis muttered. Gladio lightly slapped his hands on his knees, before he stood himself up.

"What you _need_ is to get your ass in the tent. Even the King of Kings needs a rest before saving the world"

"Never thought I'd see the day where _Gladio_ is telling me to sleep" Noctis chuckled, though he stood up anyway. Prompto shifted his feet to the ground and stood up with Ignis too. Noctis spared a moment to look between the three of them. "You guys... when this is all over, you have so much still to do. Gladio, don't think you're allowed to let the Amicitia line die out, just because there's no Lucis Caelum's to drive you crazy... Insomnia will need new Glaives, so you better train them hard"

Gladio barked out a laugh. "Wouldn't dream of it... I'll drive some fresh recruits to greatness for ya"

"Ignis, the people going to need you to figure out how to rebuild. To lead them back to what was once their home... Make sure to tell Cor that he can have my job. I think he's earned it after all these years. He's dedicated himself to Insomnia longer than anyone else... he'll need you to be there as his Advisor"

Ignis gave a nod, swallowing thickly for a moment. "I will do my best" He muttered.

"Prompto..." Noctis paused, reaching out to gently grasp his friend's shoulder. "You gotta take care of these workaholics, okay? Especially Ignis... you know how he gets" He said, his voice heavy with suppressed emotion. Prompto in turn lifted his hand to grasp Noctis' shoulder too. "I'm sorry... I never got to... to make it up to you, for what happened. But I _will_... I'll bring back the dawn. You'll live in peace, I swear it... I want you to hold your head high Prom. To be there as a living example to show people that anyone can achieve great things with determination and spirit, no matter where they started... to be the morale boost you've always been"

Prompto gave a small nod, letting the tears fall from his right eye. "I know you can do it buddy... I can't wait to feel the warmth of the sun again... we're gunna make Insomnia the heart of Lucis again, I promise" He assured, giving Noctis' shoulder a squeeze before he let go. Gladio stepped in to ushered Noctis to the tent, claiming yet again that they _all_ needed to sleep.

When only the two of them remained, Ignis stepped forward to wrap his arms around Prompto’s waist, resting his chin on Prompto’s shoulder. Prompto wrapped his arms around Ignis’ at his waist, leaning back into his chest.

“So... after all these years... I guess this is it, huh?” Prompto muttered quietly. The whole situation left a bad taste in his mouth. He felt Ignis’ arms squeeze around him a little tighter. 

“We've known this for a long time, love. There’s nothing we can do to change what will happen” Ignis said softly, loosening his hold on Prompto to gently turn him around to face him. “But the sun will rise again, Prompto” 

“But I still can’t understand why Iggy. Why is it worth Noct’s life? Why doesn’t he get to see the sun too? Do the Astrals really care so little for his life, after all he’s going to do? It just isn't fair” 

“I know, love... I know. But we just... we have to do as Noct wishes for us. And we will. We will rebuild our home, and return it to its people. And when the sun rises again, and the demons are no more... we can finally find our own place to settle. No more moving from place to place and scavenging for food” Ignis assured, brushing his fingers through Prompto’s hair. 

“We... we can have a family one day too, right?” Prompto asked. They had both grown up with little family, starved for something bigger; Ignis only had his Uncle and Prompto rarely saw his adoptive parents. 

“When the sun has risen, I’m going to give you everything, Prompto. I promise. A family, a home... a new name” Ignis leaned forward to press their foreheads together. “It will be difficult... but we can enjoy life again soon” He promised, pressing a gentle kiss to Prompto’s lips. “I love you, dear heart” 

“I love you too, Iggy” 

 

* * *

 

Letting Noctis take his first steps up the grand stairs of the Citadel where their journey had begun _hurt_. But there was no time to dwell on what was to happen inside. Prompto was the first to turn at the familiar bubbling and screeching sound that could only be two Red Giants pulling themselves from the ground.

"Looks like we're not done here yet" Gladio grunted, hoisting his sword up onto his shoulder. "How about it then boys... ready for one last rumble?" Ignis gave a scoff, summoning his daggers to his hands while Prompto tapped his gun against his shoulder with a shrug.

"Them or us. I for one didn't come this far to give in now" Ignis said, making Gladio chuckle.

"We have promises to keep" Prompto said, somehow managing to keep his tone positive. The others give small noises to confirm, but then they're all rushed into battle.

In theory, Red Giants were easier to fight than they first seemed. They were large and slow; easy targets even for Prompto. He could aim high to avoid hitting Gladio or Ignis, staying out of reach of the giant swords. The problem was, two of them at once was _difficult_. They barely had time to attack one before the other was upon them, with a speed that none of the boys had known before.

It was almost like they knew their time was limited.

Ignis was the first to take a hit, a large hand swatting him away like a bug and slamming him into the nearest pile of rubble with a sharp cry of pain. Prompto was already moving that way, doing what he could to provide cover fire while Ignis crushed a hi-potion, broken bones fixing back into place and deep scrapes knitting together until he could pull himself back to his feet, gently patting Prompto's shoulder to let him know he was okay.

Gladio took a hard swipe from a sword, shattering his shield and tearing his chest open like he was made of paper. Ignis shouted his name; he couldn't get around both giants to get to the fallen shield. They almost lost him. Prompto skidded across the ground, relying on the thundering vibrations of the giant's movements to narrowly duck under a swing aimed his way. He practically threw himself at Gladio, pressing a phoenix down into his shoulder before he could succumb to his wounds.

"Prompto!" Ignis shouted desperately. The blonde turned, but he wasn't quick enough to move out of the way. He gasped when a large hand tightened around his body, pinning his arms to his side and hoisting him off the ground. He panicked, trying to wriggle at least his right arm free so he could attack; do _anything_ to stop the tightening grip from crushing every organ in his body. He could hear Gladio and Ignis shouting just before his ears started ringing painfully, gasping for breaths that weren't filling his tightening lungs at all.

He fell suddenly, his ankle rolling out from underneath him when his feet hit the ground and only just managing to spare his face with his arms. He coughed, choking on the rush of air that _finally_ filled his lungs and made him ache all over. He felt hands on him, pushing him to roll over; a bottle pressed into his hand and his fingers forced to curl around it until it shattered. The relief was immediate, his chest no longer feeling like it had caved in; air flowing steady.

"Prompto, dear Astrals _say_ something!" Ignis pleaded, and he came to realise that it was Ignis holding onto him like his life depended on it. For a moment there, it probably had.

"I'm... I'm okay" Prompto assured, shifting to sit up with Ignis' help. "What happened?"

"They just... vanished... they roared and disappeared" Ignis explained in bewilderment.

"Then... does that mean...?" He didn't want to finish; he didn't need to. If the demons were gone, then Noctis was successful.

The fight was won.

 

* * *

 

Noctis looked around at the empty void that surrounded him. Gone were the Kings of Lucis; gone was his father and Luna; gone were his friends, and the Ring. Gone was Ardyn, _finally_ reduced to ashes after all these years.

So why was he still standing in nothingness?

The blue air around him shifted and changed, and he became very aware that he was floating. He looked down at the throne room he had been in just moments ago; his body was still pinned to the throne by his father's sword.

"What...?" He muttered. Why was he above this? What he some sort of... ghost? He turned his head at the sound of the doors being pushed open. "No... please..." He begged, unable to do anything but watch his friends run into the room, soaked to the bone and covered in blood. Gladio and Ignis halted at the sight of him, and Ignis grabbed Prompto before he could advance any further. He could _see_ the pain in their eyes. "I don't want to see this..."

Gladio moved first, taking the shallow steps three at a time until he reached the top, stopping at Noctis' side. Ignis was next, telling Prompto to wait as he rushed up after Gladio. Ignis' braced his hands against Noctis' shoulders, and it was almost like he could feel the shaking touch even in this ghostly state. Gladio gripped the sword tightly, bracing a foot against the throne before he yanked the sword free. He expected a rush of blood; there was nothing more than a thin trickle. Ignis eased his body to the ground.

Prompto could clearly hear the scraping of the sword as it was pulled free because he ignored Ignis' warning to stay and raced forward. He tripped on the first step in his desperate haste, but caught himself on his hands and rushed the rest of the way up to drop at Noctis' side.

"Don't... please, it's pointless!" Noctis begged, breath catching in his throat. Ignis fingers brushed tenderly through his hair and he could _feel_ it. Gladio was knelt at his feet, hands pressed into his face but Prompto... _Prompto._

The blonde produced a phoenix down, pushing it into Noctis' chest. The fire washed over his body, sealing the wound to his chest. But nothing happened. Nothing changed. He was still floating there, forced to watch as his shield broke down, shoulders trembling. Forced to watch Ignis lean down to press their foreheads together. Forced to watch Prompto desperately try to resuscitate him with compressions, tears streaming from his right eye and pleas falling from his lips.

"You have come far, Chosen King" Noctis forced his head to turn to his right.

"Gentiana... Shiva..."

"Your friends admire you, Noctis Lucis Caelum. It is a shame to see them suffering so"

"Then _why_? Why can't you just let me go? Why do I have to see this?!" He shouted, waving his hand over his friends, broken and crying and _sobbing_ over his dead body. Prompto had given up, face pressed into Noctis' chest and his entire body convulsing with every broken, wrecked sob.

"Sometimes we must see the things we hold dear in a different light. Your story is not yet done, King of Light. Remember this moment, and do not forget the sacrifices made for you to achieve your calling. Those sacrifices are the reason you may return to your brothers"

Noctis looked back down for a moment, before glancing back to Gentiana. "I can... go back...? I can _live_?"

"If you so choose" She confirmed with a gentle nod. "You need only to want it"

His world shifted again, enveloping into darkness before he even knew what the hell was happening to him. But he felt _warm_. He could feel heavy pressure setting into his chest and his head. He gave a small groan, and suddenly the pressure was gone. There was shouting in muffled voices. He forced his tired eyes to open.

Everything was a blur of blonde, dark brown and sandy brown. It took a moment to realise that he was seeing his friends again; this time from below them. As his vision cleared he could see the utter desperation in their faces; cheeks flushed and eyes all puffy red. He took in a deep breath, much to their shared relief.

"Let's... n-never... do that... again..." He gasped. Prompto was the first to react; diving into Noctis' chest and crying for a whole different reason. Ignis cautiously pried the boy off him while Gladio moved behind him to sit him up and hold him steady since he couldn't move himself.

Noctis managed to tip his head back, looking out of the giant hole in the Citadel ceiling as the first shades of red were cast across the sky. Gladio and Ignis followed his gaze up, both feeling so much tension ease out of their bodies. Prompto was demanding to know what the _hell_ was going on because no one was _talking_ and this was _amazing_!

He went silent the moment the first warm rays were cast across his face. He too turned his face in the direction of the rapidly rising sun, light spreading across the lands faster than it ever had before. Ignis' fingers laced with his own, squeezing lightly as they all marvelled at the light they had so desperately missed for _so many years_.

"Yeah... You did it buddy" Prompto muttered. "It's... It's finally over"

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Sounds of Affection](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12533264) by [Elillierose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elillierose/pseuds/Elillierose)




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